Buttermilk, or chaas or chhachh in Hindi, is a very common drink in most Indian households, mainly during summers due to its digestive properties and helps to keep the body cool. This refreshing yogurt drink is a perfect blend of yogurt and spices like cumin powder, hing, ginger, green chilies, and salt to enhance its taste and healing properties that turns out to be an ideal summer cooler, that can be consumed every day, either by itself or after a meal to aid digestion and treat stomach ailments. 

Buttermilk can be enjoyed plain just with roasted cumin powder and salt. Adding spices and fresh herbs makes the most refreshing, tasty summer drink, called masala chaas/buttermilk. Traditional Chaas is made with herbs like mint and coriander leaves. I wanted to give this traditional chaas a twist by adding in the most commonly used herb, which you would have not thought of its addition with buttermilk, apart from pestos and pastas. Yes! Basil and buttermilk would make an awesome combination. A soothing flavor of basil in buttermilk is definitely a drink to relish.

Basil is a flavorful, leafy green herb that is most widely known and grown herbs in the world. It’s a member of the mint family, and many different varieties exist. Sweet basil is the most common, others include Lemon basil, Cinnamon basil, Lettuce basil, and Thai basil. This Chaas recipe is made using sweet basil.

Sweet basil is a light green color with a rounded cup-shaped leaf, very popular in pestos, salads, and marinades, as it has a milder taste and aroma compared to the Tulsi leaves. This aromatic herb is not only popular in food seasonings but also used in herbal teas and supplements which may provide a range of health benefits. Basil is easy to grow, grows well outdoors in the summer. Homegrown Fresh basil leaves are always handy to use in your cooking. 

Did I miss to tell you about one more special addition to this Chaas? Its addition of black salt. Black Salt or Kala Namak is a popular cooling spice from India and is used as a laxative and digestive aid. Black salt is often added to drinks or salads or chats recipes. Just a pinch of black salt under the tongue is believed to be very helpful in treating nausea. It has a slightly sour flavor, so the addition of black salt to any drink would make it so refreshingly good. The drink would get an add-on health benefit with black salt. 

The addition of basil leaves to buttermilk, not only adds a unique flavor to buttermilk also with loads of added on health benefits. You will definitely love this basil flavored buttermilk, do give a try!!

Recipe Card for Basil Chaas :

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Basil Chaas | ಮಸಾಲ ಮಜ್ಜಿಗೆ | Indian Summer Drink Recipe | Spiced Buttermilk with Basil

Chaas, an Indian traditional Buttermilk drink with a perfect blend of yogurt and spices turns out to be an ideal summer cooler. This refreshing yogurt drink would be the best home remedies to reduce body heat and aid digestion. Here is a unique way of making chaas using basil leaves, to make it even more flavorful and healthier.

Ready to slurp the goodness!?!

Course Drinks

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Basil, Buttermilk

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 2

Author KaviRuchi

Equipment

• Hand Blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup Curd/Yogurt/Dahi chilled
• 1 Cup Water chilled
• ½ Green Chili
• ½ Garlic (clove)-optional
• ½ inch Ginger/Adrak
• ½ tsp Salt Black Salt/Kala Namak
• ¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
• ¼ tsp roasted Cumin/Jeera Powder
• 6-8 Basil Leaves

Instructions

• In a blender jar, add in basil leaves(rinsed), cumin powder, hing, salt, ginger, garlic, green chili along with little curd, blend until smooth. 
  
• Next, add the remaining curd and chilled water, blend again until smooth and frothy.
• Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator to serve later. Enjoy Chaas after a meal to aid digestion. 
• A perfect summer Cooler!! BEAT the HEAT !!! with Basil Chaas..
  

Video

Notes

• Mint leaves can be used in place of basil leaves if basil is not available.
• You can add basil fresh, dried or frozen — though fresh basil has the best flavor.
• While adding fresh basil, take only the leaves — not the stem.
• If fresh basil is not available but you only have dried, use just 1/3 of the measurement, as dried is more concentrated.
• To make it tastier, add 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion before serving.
• Add Black Salt for added on health benefit. If unavailable, regular salt will do.
• Adding garlic is purely optional.
• Add more or less of green chili as per spice level required.

If you are looking for more cooling beverages for this summer do check…

• Mango Lassi
• Kiwi-Avocado Lassi
• Avocado Milkshake
• Strawberry Milkshake
• Dry Fruits Milkshake
• Papaya Lassi
• Sabja Lemonade
• Watermelon Mint Lemonade
• Watermelon Coolers
• Watermelon Strawberry Lassi
• Watermelon Milkshake
• Basil Chaas

Tried this Recipe?

I’d love to hear from you! Please share your food photo with hashtag #kaviruchi on Facebook or Instagram so I can see it and others can enjoy it too!

For more Quick & Tasty Recipes…

Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST and Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel.

Stay in touch! Feel free to drop me an EMAIL and share your feedback. I will always respond.

Thank you and Happy Cooking!

The post Basil Chaas appeared first on KaviRuchi.

Watermelon? is a delicious and refreshing fruit, helps you cool down from the summer heat. It is low in calorie, with high water content and also highly nutritious. Fruit tastes delicious as is but here is the best way to use the leftover watermelon. 

Store the chopped watermelon cubes in the freezer for months and it would be so handy every time you make smoothies or milkshakes or ice cream or sorbets. Watermelon milkshake tastes so delicious, rich and filling. It can be combined with any fruit of your choice like banana, strawberry, peach or blueberry.

Try this recipe or your own combination with different fruits and ingredients, all goes well with watermelon. Beat the summer heat with a refreshing watermelon drink. 

Ready to slurp the goodness!?!

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Watermelon Milkshake | ಕಲ್ಲಂಗಡಿ ಮಿಲ್ಕ್ಶೇಕ್ | Summer Special | Watermelon Cooler

Watermelon combined with ice cream and milk would be a perfect cooler for summers. Begin your day with this refreshing watermelon drink, for a healthy start of the day.

Course Drinks

Keyword Milkshake

Prep Time 5 minutes

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup Watermelon frozen
• 1 cup Milk chilled
• 2 scoops Ice-Cream Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 2-3 Tbsp finely chopped Melon to garnish

Instructions

• Blend frozen watermelon, milk, honey, and ice cream to smooth consistency.
  
• Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with chopped watermelon.
  
• Serve immediately! Slurp the goodness!!

Video

Notes

• Combine other fruits like strawberry, banana, peach or blueberry.
• You could add any dairy-free milk of your choice(like almond milk or cashew milk or soy milk). Milkshakes taste good in any combination.
• To have a chilling cold drink I added frozen watermelon. If frozen fruit is not available, add fresh fruits.
• Frozen watermelon turns mushy when thawed, so the best way to use frozen melon is to make smoothies or milkshakes.

You could also try other Watermelon Coolers for this summer…

WATERMELON MINT LEMONADE and WATERMELON LASSI

If you want to know HOW TO SELECT & STORE WATERMELON, check out…

WATERMELON COOLERS

Check out other Beverages & Drinks…

• Mango Lassi
• Kiwi-Avocado Lassi
• Avocado Milkshake
• Strawberry Milkshake
• Dry Fruits Milkshake
• Papaya Lassi
• Sabja Lemonade
• Watermelon Mint Lemonade
• Watermelon Coolers
• Watermelon Strawberry Lassi
• Watermelon Milkshake
• Basil Chaas

Tried this Recipe?

I’d love to hear from you! Please share your food photo with hashtag #kaviruchi on Facebook or Instagram so I can see it and others can enjoy it too!

For more Quick & Tasty Recipes…

Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST and Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel.

Stay in touch! Feel free to drop me an EMAIL and share your feedback. I will always respond.

Thank you and Happy Cooking!

The post Watermelon Milkshake appeared first on KaviRuchi.

Watermelon? is a delicious and refreshing fruit, helps you cool down from the summer heat. It is low in calorie, with high water content and also highly nutritious. Fruit tastes delicious as is but here is the best way to use the leftover watermelon. 

Store the chopped watermelon cubes in the freezer for months and frozen Watermelon would be so handy every time you make a smoothie or ice cream or sorbets. Watermelon Smoothie tastes so delicious and can be combined with any fruit of your choice. Here I am using strawberry, which makes a great combination with watermelon, yields a pink-a-lious absolutely deli-cious drink to relish. 

Try this recipe or your own combination with different fruits and ingredients, all goes well with watermelon. In this recipe, you could replace strawberry with other fruits like banana, pineapple, peach, orange or blueberry. Beat the summer heat with a refreshing watermelon drink. 

Ready to slurp the goodness!?!

You could also try other Watermelon Coolers for this summer…
WATERMELON MINT LEMONADE and WATERMELON MILKSHAKE

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Watermelon Strawberry Lassi | ಕಲ್ಲಂಗಡಿ ಸ್ಟ್ರಾಬೆರಿ ಲಸ್ಸಿ | Summer Special | Watermelon Smoothie

Lassi, an Indian traditional yogurt drink would be a perfect summer refresher. Lassi made with fresh strawberry and watermelon, would be the best way to cool down the summer heat. Begin your day with this refreshing yogurt drink, for a healthy start of the day.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Indian

Keyword smoothie

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Servings 2 people

Author KaviRuchi

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen Watermelon seedless (cut in cubes)
• 1 cup Strawberry chopped
• 1 cup Plain Yogurt / Curd
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• pinch Cardamom Powder

Instructions

• Blend frozen watermelon, strawberry, curd, honey, and a pinch cardamom powder to smooth consistency.
  
• Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with chopped strawberry and watermelon slice.
• Serve immediately.
  
• BEAT the HEAT !!! with watermelon Lassi..

Video

Notes

• Replace strawberry with any available fruits like banana, pineapple, peach, orange or blueberry.
• You could replace yogurt with any dairy-free milk of your choice (almond milk or cashew milk or soy milk). Smoothies taste good in any combination.
• To have chilling cold smoothie add frozen watermelon and strawberry.
• If frozen fruit is not available, add fresh fruits along with crushed ice while blending.
• Frozen watermelon turns mushy when thawed, so the best way to use frozen melon is to make smoothies.

If you want to know HOW TO SELECT & STORE WATERMELON, check out…

WATERMELON COOLERS

Check out other Beverages & Drinks…

• Mango Lassi
• Kiwi-Avocado Lassi
• Avocado Milkshake
• Strawberry Milkshake
• Dry Fruits Milkshake
• Papaya Lassi
• Sabja Lemonade
• Watermelon Mint Lemonade
• Watermelon Coolers

Tried this Recipe?

I’d love to hear from you! Please share your food photo with hashtag #kaviruchi on Facebook or Instagram so I can see it and others can enjoy it too!

For more Quick & Tasty Recipes…

Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST and Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel.

Stay in touch! Feel free to drop me an EMAIL and share your feedback. I will always respond.

Thank you and Happy Cooking!

The post Watermelon Strawberry Lassi appeared first on KaviRuchi.

Watermelon? is a delicious and refreshing fruit, helps you cool down from the summer heat. It is low in calorie, and also a nutritional powerhouse. 

Watermelon is rich in anti-inflammatory properties.  It’s a melon that’s 98 percent water. Due to its high water content, it helps you hydrate and feel full.

No doubt, watermelon is everyone’s favorite summer fruit. A chilled watermelon slice can be a refreshing summer treat for a hot summer day. It can be a quick low-calorie treat after a post work and is so good for your health.

Even if the watermelon is mostly eaten as a fruit, it got lumped in with vegetables in some circles of thought. Consumption of Watermelon not only contributes towards healthy skin but also improves the immune system. 

Watermelon is considered as cucumber’s cousin as they belong to the same family called, Cucurbitaceae, which includes gourds as well. 

Like its cousin-cucumber, the entire watermelon can be eaten, although people tend to only eat the inner pink flesh and throw away the watermelon rind. The black seeds and rind is entirely edible and has many health benefits. 

How to pick the right Watermelon:

1. Look for the field spot: The field spot is where the watermelon was resting on the ground. If the field spot is a creamy yellowish spot, means the watermelon had enough time to ripen in the sun and perfectly ripen. If the field spot is white, (or not even there) this probably means that the watermelon is under-ripe.

2. Lift it up: Large or small, the watermelon should feel heavy for its size, which means there’s more water in it and therefore nice and ripe. 

3. Knuckle Knock: Give the watermelon a firm grip with your knuckles, a ripe one will have a deep hollow sound. Under-ripe or over-ripe melons will sound dull.

4. Inspect the tail: A dried out tail means, the melon is ripe. A green tail indicates that melon was picked too soon and not ripe.

Fruit tastes delicious as is but if you are not able to finish all, here are some of the ways to store the leftover watermelon.

How to store Watermelon:

1. Set an uncut watermelon in a dark, cool location for up to four days.
2. Wrap a cut watermelon half tightly with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
3. Store cut watermelon pieces in an airtight container in your refrigerator. The watermelon will lose its freshness and sweetness in 3 to 4 days. 
4. Freeze watermelon cubes for up to 6 months

My favorite method of storing leftover watermelon is to freeze and use when needed to make watermelon coolers, instantly without worrying of heading to a store to pick a watermelon. A great way to save time and money!

How to freeze Watermelon:

Step 1: To freeze, cut the watermelon into cubes, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Step 2: Put the sheet in the freezer and let the watermelon freeze for a few hours.

Step 3: Once the watermelon is firm and solid, place in an airtight container or freezer safe ziplock bag and put back in the freezer.

Remember frozen watermelon will be mushy when it’s thawed, the best way to use frozen melon is to make smoothies or milkshakes or sorbets or ice cream. 

Here are 3 Watermelon Coolers, you would want to enjoy this summer…

WATERMELON MINT LEMONADE

WATERMELON LASSI 

WATERMELON MILKSHAKE

Tried this Recipe?

I’d love to hear from you! Please share your food photo with hashtag #kaviruchi on Facebook or Instagram so I can see it and others can enjoy it too!

For more Quick & Tasty Recipes…

Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST and Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel.

Stay in touch! Feel free to drop me an EMAIL and share your feedback. I will always respond.

Thank you and Happy Cooking!

The post Watermelon Coolers appeared first on KaviRuchi.

Watermelon? is a delicious and refreshing fruit, helps you cool down from the summer heat. It has high water content and also highly nutritious and low in calorie. Fruit tastes delicious as is but here is the best way to make it super delicious by preparing a summer drink out of it. It is so refreshing and turns out to be a perfect cooler for summers.

If you are bored having the basic lemonade/nimbu pani!?! Here is a twist to basic lemonade by addition of watermelon. To give a refreshing burst of flavor, use the very popular herb-Mint Leaves, which is a good relaxant. Watermelon along with Mint leaves makes a great combination for a refreshing summer drink. 

Wait! the lemonade is still not done. Yet to add the most nutritious seeds, the best body coolants, the seeds that are most nutritious when soaked in water and consumed. When soaked, the seeds get a nice soft-jelly like texture outside and crunchy inside with a bland flavor. Yes! you might have guessed by now, they are Sabja/Basil seeds, that are rich in antioxidant with numerous health benefits. 

Check out the recipe of basic lemonade with sabja and its health benefits…

SABJA LEMONADE

My lemonades are never complete without the addition of sabja. So make your watermelon lemonade drink more nutritious and refreshing with the addition of mint and sabja.

Did I miss to tell you about one more special addition to this juice? Its addition of black salt. Black Salt or Kala Namak is a popular cooling spice from India and is used as a laxative and digestive aid. Black salt is often added to drinks or salads or chats recipes. Just a pinch of black salt under the tongue is believed to be very helpful in treating nausea. It has a slightly sour flavor, so the addition of black salt to any drink would make it so refreshingly good. The drink would get an add-on health benefit with black salt. 
Ready to slurp the goodness!?!

Print

Watermelon Mint Lemonade with Sabja | ಸಬ್ಜಾ ಕಲ್ಲಂಗಡಿ ಪಾನಕ | Summer Special | Watermelon Cooler

A refreshing and healthy lemonade drink made with Watermelon, Mint, and Sabja turns out to be a perfect cooler for summers. Slurp the goodness & stay hydrated with watermelon Cooler.

Course Drinks

Keyword juice

Prep Time 5 minutes

Soak Sabja 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 2

Author KaviRuchi

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Sabja Seeds / Basil Seeds soaked in ¼ cup Water.
• 2 cups Watermelon chilled
• 5-6 Mint Leaves
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• pinch Black Salt
• Ice Cubes

Instructions

• Soak a tsp of Sabja Seeds in ¼ cup water for about 10-12 mins.
  
• Blend watermelon, mint leaves, honey, lime juice, and a pinch black salt to smooth consistency.
  
• Pour into a chilled glass, add soaked sabja and ice cubes. Garnish with mint leaves and watermelon slice.
  
• Serve immediately or chill it for later use.
  
• BEAT the HEAT !!! with Watermelon Lemonade…

Video

Notes

• Sabja Seeds are easily available in Indian or Asian grocery stores and are commonly known as Sweet Basil seeds, Falooda seeds or Turkmaria seeds.
• Add more or less lemon juice and sweetener according to your taste and preference.
• You could skip adding salt however adding a pinch of black salt enhances the flavor of watermelon lemonade.
• Other flavors you could try apart from mint leaves, is grated ginger/rose syrup.
• Flavor lemonade according to your choice and enjoy the Summer Drink! Stay healthy & hydrated!

If you want to know HOW TO SELECT & STORE WATERMELON, check out…

WATERMELON COOLERS

You could also try other Watermelon Coolers for this summer…

WATERMELON MILKSHAKE and WATERMELON LASSI

Check out other Beverages & Drinks…

• Mango Lassi
• Kiwi-Avocado Lassi
• Avocado Milkshake
• Strawberry Milkshake
• Dry Fruits Milkshake
• Papaya Lassi
• Sabja Lemonade
• Watermelon Mint Lemonade
• Watermelon Coolers
• Watermelon Strawberry Lassi

Tried this Recipe?

I’d love to hear from you! Please share your food photo with hashtag #kaviruchi on Facebook or Instagram so I can see it and others can enjoy it too!

For more Quick & Tasty Recipes…

Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST and Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel.

Stay in touch! Feel free to drop me an EMAIL and share your feedback. I will always respond.

Thank you and Happy Cooking!

The post Watermelon Mint Lemonade appeared first on KaviRuchi.