Another creative recipe from the kitchen of the Natarajans. This unusual buttermilk made healthier with the addition of banana stem juice; acts as an excellent diuretic!
Ingredients:
- Banana stem – 6-7 inch piece, chopped
- Thick yogurt – ½ litre, not sour
- Coriander leaves – a few sprigs
- Juice of half lemon
- Salt – to taste
The Tempering:
- Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
- Asafoetida powder – a pinch
- Ginger – inch piece, grated
- Green chillies – 2, chopped fine
- Curry leaves – 8-10, torn roughly
- Gingelly oil – 1 tsp
Method:
- In a wok, heat the oil for tempering. Pop the mustard and add the asafoetida powder. Switch off the flame and add the remaining ingredients of the tempering.
- Grind this tempering along with yogurt, chopped banana stem, coriander leaves and salt.
- Now strain this mixture meticulously so that you get a finely textured buttermilk without any thicker remnants. Natarajan likes to first strain it through a metal mesh and then through a plastic double strainer. He says that what comes out is thick, flavoured buttermilk.
- Add 1-2 glasses of water depending upon your preference, combine well and a dash of lemon.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Mr Natarajan says that zedoary (manga-inji) is an interesting substitute to ginger. Seasonal gooseberries can also be added while grinding.
This recipe was first published in His ladle love – a column in Harmony Magazine. Part-1 of this post is a very interesting interview with K. Natarajan, a Tamilian from Bangalore who is a great believer in the OPOS cooking and Part-2 of this post is Avarakkai saadam. |
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