Sunday, June 2, 2019

Chilled Spicy Barley Chaas/Matta.


“Chilled Spicy Barley Chaas/Matta” … Uuuffff Mumbai garmi to badtihi jarahi hey, barish ka to doora tak athapatha nahin … so prepared a jug full of chilled buttermilk coolant with addition of barely water and spices for gulping through the weekend to beat the heat and keep ourselves hydrated while praying for rains … 

** I have always loved preparing of mix and match of healthy ingredients and juices or health drinks are the most sought after in my home. I have already written about “Barley/Jau” which is a storehouse of health benefits. Though people just soak it overnight and strain the water for use the next day, I found the full nutrient benefits are not obtained by doing so, it was then that I decided to pressure cook it and then grind it, strain it and use in any dishes I fancied to make using it. Coming  to “Matta~A spiced Buttermilk” is exactly that what its name suggest. This is a very famous spiced buttermilk from the kitchens of Maharashtrians. In Konkani Saraswat Cuisine we have similar spiced buttermilk which we call panna takka/meaning seasoned buttermilk. However, there we just season it and then strain the same and serve but here a masala is ground and added to the buttermilk, tempered, strained and then served and it really tastes awesome. We prepare this frequently in my home specially during summer and serve it chilled and thinned out. 


** After preparing the barley water, I most of the time add this thinned out to any juice to increase the nutrient content and also as it is a coolant it helps from within the body to eliminate acidity during summer. I do agree here that the spices added makes the drink spicier and you may be wondering how it is good for health. Well, for those intolerant of spice you can cut down the number of green chillies while grinding out, or just add in a little bit more of barley water while mixing the two and you have your own mixed drink exactly the way you want. The other ingredients added on while preparing matta are so good that the green chilly gets slightly erased out of its heat effects. Comparatively green chillies are much milder than dried red chillies in case of acidity too. In fact there was time a few decades back when I had severe acidity and I had to forgo a lot of food for 6 months to balance the fire dosha (as they call in Ayurveda) in my body. During that period I was completely off red chillies and used green chillies in moderation to my daily diet. 

** I will not repeat the preparation of "Barley/Jau Water” and “Matta~Spiced Buttermilk” again but will share the link to them below at the bottom of this recipe. Do use those links for the method of preparing the same. I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience if any to anybody about this method, but this is usually the method of my posting to avoid repeating of the same thing over and over again and I know all bloggers and my friends will agree with me on that score. I will include how I prepared “Chilled Spicy Barley Chaas Matta” right away below. Do try out this awesome coolant and enjoy it this summer with your family and friends. You can prepare this ahead of weekend and enjoy it over the days as it remains good for 48 hours. To enjoy it the best serve it chilled unless you are averse to chilled drinks, in which case you can leave it out for an hour to bring down to room temperature and enjoy the same, it taste equally good either way, but is a blessing to sip on when you come home hot and tired from the blazing sunlight. 


** To prepare the “Chilled Spicy Barley Chaas Matta” is very simple if you have both the barley water and the matta prepared separately and ready. Just add in 2 cups of matta-spiced buttermilk with one cup of thin barely water and mix well. Check the seasoning and spice level and add if necessary. Put the mixture in fridge and let it completely chill for a few hours or overnight. Serve chilled in tall glasses with a dash of coarsely powdered black pepper powder and a dash of lime (Optional) while serving along with a few Ice cubes if desired. You can serve this drink at mid morning as a thirst quencher or after lunch as a digestive drink as it serves both purposes. I love to relish this at mid morning when I come in home after some work in the blazing sunlight and it really cools me down. A little bit of snacks like wafers, served if any to munch on is actually a added bonus with this coolant when you have a cozy chit chat with friends. Well, I have stopped offering bottled aerated drinks to my close friends long back as I simply do not like it and always try something like this and luckily for me my friends all agree with me bang on here. 

** For the "Barley/Jau Water” Recipe, Please follow the link given below …. 

** For the “MATTA~ A Spicy Masala Buttermilk” Recipe, Please follow the link given below … 

** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.

** I am happy to inform you that I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" which is over and year old, with about 19K strong members. It is a pleasure to inform that you will find in the group many more recipes posted by our expert members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" … Thank You ….

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