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Bajre ki raabdi
बाजरे की राबड़ी: pearl-millet flour fermented in buttermilk and cooked, then thinned into a cooling summer drink
In the villages of Haryana and the Rajasthan border, raabdi is drunk at midday in May and June to keep cool in the fields. Pearl-millet flour is stirred into buttermilk and left to ferment for a few hours, then cooked slowly until thick, cooled in a clay pot and thinned with more buttermilk and salt. It tastes tangy and earthy, a little like a savoury porridge you can drink. Ferment at warm room temperature (25–32 °C) for 4–6 hours: it should smell pleasantly sour with a few bubbles. Throw it away if you see pink, black or furry mould or it smells rotten or of nail varnish. The common mistake is cooking on high heat, which scorches the millet and leaves raw lumps. Chef's tip: keep the cooked raabdi in the fridge and drink it within 2 days, thinning each glass to taste.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the raabdi
- 2 cups thin buttermilk (chaas)
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ¾ tsp salt
To serve
- 1 ¾ cups cold buttermilk
- ½ tsp roasted ground cumin
- 1 small onion (optional)finely chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 2 ⅛ oz bajra atta (pearl-millet meal) into 2 cups thin buttermilk (chaas) in a steel or clay pot until there are no lumps. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place (25–90°F) for 4–6 hours until it smells pleasantly sour and shows small bubbles. Discard if there is coloured mould or a rotten smell.
5 minStep 2: Stir in 1 ¼ cups water and ¾ tsp salt and pour into a heavy pan.
1 minStep 3: Cook on low-medium heat, stirring all the time, until it comes to a gentle boil, about 8 minutes.
8 minStep 4: Simmer on the lowest heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens like a pouring custard and no longer tastes floury.
15 minStep 5: Cool completely, then chill for at least 1 hour.
2 minStep 6: To serve, whisk with 1 ¾ cups cold buttermilk to a drinkable consistency, pour into glasses and sprinkle with ½ tsp roasted ground cumin and 1 small onion.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bajre ki raabdi take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of thin buttermilk (chaas)?
- Milk with lemon juice or white vinegar: 1 tbsp per 240ml (1 cup) milk, left for 5 minutes.
- What can I use instead of cold buttermilk?
- Milk with lemon juice or white vinegar: 1 tbsp per 240ml (1 cup) milk, left for 5 minutes.
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