Sambaram - Seasoned Buttermilk or 'Sambaram' is quite a popular drink from my hometown in India. Buttermilk in general is a great drink to have especially when the weather gets warm. It not only helps cool the body but has the benefits of being a low-fat drink. It even aids digestion and improves immunity. Today's recipe is a twist to the usual drink by adding some flavorful seasonings to make it taste even better. We all know that traditionally buttermilk is obtained from the whey, remnants of churned butter. You could even make buttermilk by adding a teaspoon of acid, like vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk.
Why you will love this?
- A cooling drink during the summers or after a nice sadya or spicy meal.
- Mix with rice and have it as a meal.
- Very easy to make with simple ingredients.
- Make it in advance and cool it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for three to four days.
How to make spiced buttermilk?
For the Sambaram recipe, I used an equal ratio of low-fat yogurt and water to avoid sourness. The addition of pearl onions is optional. However, a crunchy bite of the finely chopped raw pearl onions with a sip only makes it taste even better.
This can be had by itself or even mixed with a rice bowl. This is a great recipe to try, especially in the hot summer. Grind together buttermilk, green chilies, ginger, and coriander leaves with a little salt. Garnish with chopped pearl onions and coriander leaves. It is also part of sadya served with payar thoran, pulinchi, beetroot pachadi, 'olan', and aviyal recipe Kerala style.
Do read on for the full recipe, and hope you will try it out.
Seasoned buttermilk
Ingredients
To grind
- 2 cups yogurt preferably not too sour
- 2 cups water or as desired
- ¼ cup curry leaves
- ½ cup coriander leaves
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 green chilly Thai
- ½ tsp salt or as desired
Garnishes
- 2 pearl onions finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander eaves finely chopped
Instructions
- In a mixer ,grind all the ingredients in the "to grind" section to a smooth, fluid consistency.
- Add the finely chopped pearl onions (optional) and coriander leaves and mix well.
- Serve chilled , enjoy!
Nutrition
My grandma and grandpa used to drink buttermilk, but I always thought it was strange. Now I know it's a good thing to do! Thanks for sharing!
Ah! They indeed knew about the goodness of it . It's especially good in the hot weather . Thank you so much for the comments!
Wonderful post.
Thank you so much!
Buttermilk is always a wonderful drink to have along with meals. Addition of onions are best during summer!!
It is indeed Deeksha. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Oh wow, looks refreshing and yum!❤
Thank you so much , it is delicious and very refreshing !
Nisha, I have not tried this with pearl onions. Will try it next time. Such a perfect drink for the summer!
Great , hope you like it Sandhya! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Looks very creamy and refreshing!
Thank you so much!
Pretty much pleasing to palate 👌👍
Thank you Jyo, it indeed is!
I have loved buttermilk since I was a kid! I have never heard of drinking it any other way than from the carton. What a great idea! Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is a nice change , I love plain buttermilk as well .Glad to hear you like the variation of it! Thank you.
I've never even had buttermilk, let alone with seasonings. It certainly sounds interesting and flavourful, especially with the onion addition. Definitely going to have to try buttermilk one day soon! x
It's definitely worth a try Caz , very simple and easy to make as well. Thank you for stopping by!
Looks so refreshing! I like the addition of shallots, and I will try this next time.
Great Megala, I love the shallots as well .Thank you for stopping by!