Maharashtrian Mattha - spicy buttermilk

Mattha, Indian digestive yogurt drink

Maharashtrian mattha, a spicy buttermilk drink is part of every traditional meal. Mattha is served at the end of meal.

Mattha helps digestion. It is a fitting end to a festival meal or a wedding feast where you may have overindulged, given the wonderful variety of dishes served.

It works as a digestive as it contains ginger, cumin seed powder, fresh coriander leaves. It has lot of health benefits.

Mattha is made like salty lassi but it is not frothy and thick like lassi. It is a diluted, watery drink.

Mattha is also served as a cooling drink in the hot summer months. It can be served in the hot afternoon or along with the lunch.

During summer, make a jugful of mattha and keep it in the fridge. You and your family members can have cooling drink ready whenever you feel like it.

The preparation of mattha is simple and easy. It is quick to make. You mainly need some plain yogurt / curd. You may also temper it with Phodni or Tadka.

You may use an electric blender, a hand held blender or a whisk or a wooden or metal mathni (traditional Indian curd churner) to make mattha.

The variations you can make to mattha are given in the notes below.

How to make Mattha - Maharashtrian spicy salty Lassi

Ingredients for basic maharastrian mattha recipe

• 1 cup plain curd / yogurt
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp chopped dhania (cilantro) leaves
  
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated or crushed
• Salt to taste

Optional ingredients for mattha

• 4-5 fresh pudina (mint) leaves or
• 1/2 tsp crushed dry mint leaves
• You may use saindav lavan/ kala namak (rock salt or black salt) instead of common salt - as required
• Green chili 1/4 - chopped or in paste form - according to taste
• Garlic - 2-3 pods. Garlic is generally not added for a festive or a wedding meal.
  

Instructions to make mattha - buttermilk drink

1. Chop or crush the pudina (mint) leaves, chili if using.
2. in a blender add curd, salt and blend for a few seconds.
3. Add ginger paste, cumin seed powder, crushed/ chopped coriander, mint, chili.
4. Blend some more.
5. If you are adding tadka, make it according to the instructions below and add to the blended mattha.

Phodni/tadka adds to the flavor and taste of mattha.

Making tadka - tempering - phodni

Ingredients for phodni

• Ghee or vegetable oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds (rai, mohari)- 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/4 tsp
• Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch
• Curry leaves - 4-5
• Chopped Garlic(optional) - 2-3 pods
  

Cool completely and add to the mattha.

Maharashtrian mattha is ready.

Serve mattha with some ice cubes or you can chill the mattha in the fridge for sometime and then serve.

Notes

• Use the optional ingredients to make variations in mattha taste and flavor.
• You may use pudina (mint), green or red chili, garlic.
• You may use rock salt, chaat masala instead of or along with table salt.
• Tempering is optional too but it does add to the taste as well as flavor.
• Add a few grains of crushed black pepper seeds.

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