Summer brings popular beverages, and among them is the chaas recipe, made with yoghurt, spices, and salt. Add falsa berries to the chilled, refreshing summer drink, and the salty drink turns into a sweet, tangy one with the goodness of calcium, iron, antioxidants, and hydrating properties. The chaas has the probiotic goodness of yoghurt and the properties of flasa berries, making it the perfect cooling agent during sweltering summers that sweep the plains.
The falsa fruit is locally harvested between May and July, and it is the perfect time to enjoy the occasional rain showers and cool down with the refreshing falsa chaas recipe. You just need the flasa berries, yoghurt, water, roasted cumin, two kinds of salt, black pepper and some garnishes. If you want your chaas recipe to turn out sweeter, you can add a bit of honey or sugar. To get a chilled drink, chill the yoghurt and water, then serve with ice cubes if you want it colder.
This chaas recipe features falsa berries mashed, with the extracted juice added to chilled buttermilk, which is then whisked with chilled yoghurt and water. Then come the roasted cumin powder, black salt, and fresh mint, which add flavour to this hydrating and refreshing drink. You get a beverage with a nice pinkish-to-purplish hue that is simply delicious.
Rinse the falsa berries well and discard any stems or unripe, hard berries and transfer to a shallow bowl.
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Step 2: Mashing the flasa berries
Mash the falsa berries with a pestle or the back of a spoon, or add them to a blender with 2-3 tablespoons of water into a coarse pulp.
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Step 3: Extracting the juice
Pass the mashed falsa pulp through a strainer, pressing to extract all the juice. Discard the seeds and thick skin.
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Step 4: Making the chaas
Add the chilled yoghurt and cold water into a blender and whisk or blend for 30 seconds until smooth and frothy.
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Step 5: Assembling the falsa chaas
Pour the falsa juice into the chaas. Add roasted cumin powder, black salt, regular salt, and sugar or honey. Blend again. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately over ice, garnished with fresh mint leaves and a few falsa berries.
Falsa (phalsa) is rich in antioxidants, fibre, vitamin C, potassium, and other minerals. It may support hydration, digestion, immunity, heart health, cooling during summer, and help reduce oxidative stress.
Phalsa contains iron, but it is not considered especially iron-rich compared with foods like lentils or spinach. Reported values are around 1-1.2 mg iron per 100 g, providing a modest contribution.
In India, chaas is commonly referred to as buttermilk. Traditional buttermilk was the liquid left after churning butter, while modern chaas is diluted curd or yoghurt mixed with water and spices.
Chaas is hydrating, light, and easy to digest. It provides probiotics, may support gut health, helps cool the body in hot weather, and is lower in calories than lassi.