Masala Chaas with Sizzled Curry-Leaf Tadka

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The savory side of lassi: whole-milk yogurt whisked thin with ice water until it foams, seasoned with hand-crushed roasted cumin, black salt, ginger and green chile, then finished with a spoonful of cooled ghee tadka full of popped cumin and crackling curry leaves. It drinks like a cross between a cooler and a soup course — thin, salty, herbal and bracingly cold, the thing you actually want alongside a heavy curry instead of a sweet mango lassi.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black salt (kala namak), plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt, well chilled (not Greek)
• 3 cups ice-cold water
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small green chile such as Indian green or serrano, stemmed (seeds removed for less heat)
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, lightly packed
• 2 tbsp mint leaves, lightly packed
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp sugar (optional, to round out the salt)

• 1 tbsp ghee (or neutral oil)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 12 fresh curry leaves
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), optional

• Ice cubes
• 4 lime wedges
• Extra cilantro or a few curry leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Toast the cumin for the spice salt: put 2 teaspoons cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat and toast, shaking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds darken a shade, smell nutty, and a few start to pop. Tip them onto a plate immediately so they stop cooking.
2. When the seeds are cool enough to handle (about 3 minutes), crush them coarsely in a mortar and pestle or under the flat of a heavy knife. You want a rough grind with some texture, not a fine powder. Stir in the black salt and sea salt and set this cumin salt aside.
3. Make the tadka: wipe out the skillet, add the ghee, and heat over medium until it shimmers, about 45 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 15 to 20 seconds until fragrant, then add the curry leaves (stand back — they spatter) and the asafoetida. Swirl for 20 to 30 seconds, until the leaves go translucent and crisp. Pour everything into a small heatproof bowl and let it cool to room temperature, 10 minutes.
4. Whisk the yogurt smooth: in a large pitcher or bowl, whisk the cold yogurt alone for 30 seconds until it is completely lump-free and glossy. Whisking it before adding liquid is what keeps the finished chaas from looking curdled.
5. Blend the aromatics: combine 1 cup of the ice-cold water with the ginger, green chile, cilantro and mint in a blender and run on high for 30 seconds, until finely puréed and pale green.
6. Strain the aromatic water through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the whisked yogurt, pressing on the solids with a spoon to get all the liquid; discard the pulp. Whisk to combine.
7. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups ice-cold water, the lime juice, the optional sugar, and 2 to 3 teaspoons of the cumin salt. Whisk vigorously for a full minute — the chaas should be thin enough to drink easily, with a light foam on top. Taste and add more cumin salt a little at a time; it should read clearly salty and tangy, not mild.
8. Stir most of the cooled tadka (ghee and all) into the pitcher, reserving a spoonful of the crisp curry leaves and cumin for the top. Chill for at least 20 minutes if you have time, or serve right away over ice.
9. Whisk once more to re-foam, then pour into four tall glasses over a few ice cubes. Spoon a little of the reserved tadka over each glass, sprinkle with a pinch of cumin salt, garnish with cilantro or a curry leaf, and serve with lime wedges.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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