Cucumber Coriander Chaas

EVENT: BLOGGING MARATHON #89 WEEK 4 DAY 2

THEME: REDO OLD POSTS

What is Chaas?

Chaas is a yogurt based drink that is very popular in the Indian Sub Continent. Its known as majjiga in Telegu, moru in Tamil, majjige in Kannada, its a common drink served with any meal. Usually chaas is more watery than lassi. Lassi tends to be thick and can be sweet or salty. Usually chaas is salty. Depending on the ingredients you add, chaas taste and flavour will vary. Whenever you hear the word buttermilk in India, its usually referred to chaas.

Different flavors of Chaas

Chaas is served every single day for lunch in my home. The weather in Mombasa being hot and humid, chaas is a welcoming cool and nutritious drink. I vary the flavors from simple chaas with salt and cumin powder, to mint flavored, or vaghareli chaas, to beetroot chaas. Hubby doesn’t like to eat cucumber on its own so I try to include it either raita or in chaas. Yes, you can add cucumber in your chaas. Try coriander garlic chaas, with a bit of garlic it tastes awesome. Try Sasmita’s Masala Chaas which very flavorful. Poonam’s Maharashtrian Mattha is simply chaas with added spices and herbs.

My Dubai Trip

Before we go into how to make this cooling, nutritious chaas, let me tell you a bit about my trip to Dubai. Our trip to Dubai in December was a fun, relaxing and an enjoyable experience. Meeting up with family is always a happy affair but leaving them equally sad. We got to spend a lot of time with my daughter in law’s parents and her brother. My son and daughter in law would meet us in the evenings on the days they had to work. It was my hubby’s first trip to Dubai. He was amazed at the number of lanes on the highway, the cleanliness, security and the parks.

What baffled us was how green the parks were. What struck me was that the rest of the world is cutting down its trees mindlessly and here people are making an effort to grow trees in a desert. Lovely sunsets, walking at the Beach, The Walk, the malls, the souks, all a wonderful experience. I loved the Ibn Battuta mall, visited the Atlantis, and the fountain show made my day as it played the song  Dhoom Tana. Bollywood song in Dubai… enjoyed it thoroughly.

Different cuisines to try out, some days we cooked a light meal in our hotel apartment. Even the small supermarket near the hotel was well stocked. Ladurée macarons and Iraqi tea in Dubai. Delicious Arabian desserts, Indian meals, Lebanese meals, mega size pizzas, Starbucks hot chocolate, haagen dazs ice cream, the list is endless. Where can you get all this in one place? Dubai it is. However, must say I still prefer the Dubai Mall aquarium.

Cucumber Coriander Chaas

Its very easy to make a cucumber coriander chaas. Simply puree a bit of cucumber and coriander together with water. Add yogurt, salt, and flavoring of your choice and its ready. I usually like to chill it in the fridge till required. However, if you want to serve it immediately, use ice cold water and serve with ice cubes. Add little green chili and not too much as you don’t the chilliness to overpower the taste of cucumber and coriander.

updated 25/06/2018

I’ve only updated the photos and the write up but the recipe remains the same.

CUCUMBER CORIANDER CHAAS
2 Servings

½ cup chopped cucumber
¼ cup chopped coriander (dhania)
1 cup yogurt
¼-½ green chilli
¼ tsp salt
½ cup water

1. Put the cucumber, chilli, coriander and water in a liquidizer and process till the mixture is smooth.
2. Add salt and yogurt and process the mixture for a brief period.
3. Serve with ice cubes or keep in the fridge till required.