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Borhani
Spiced mint yogurt drink
Borhani: Dhaka's spiced mint-yoghurt drink served with biryani
At a Bangladeshi wedding in Dhaka, the moment the kacchi biryani comes out, so do glasses of pale green borhani. It's a thin, salty-spicy yoghurt drink blended with mint, coriander, green chilli, black salt and a whisper of ground mustard, made to cut through a rich meal and settle the stomach. Pour it alongside any spiced rice dish, including a vegetable biryani or bhuna khichuri. Chef's tip: the ground mustard seed is the signature; toast it lightly first and grind it fine, or the drink turns bitter.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain yoghurt
- 1 ¾ cups cold water
- ⅔ oz fresh mint leaves
- ½ oz fresh coriander
- ½ tsp black mustard seedslightly toasted and ground
- 1 tsp roasted ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp black salt (bit lobon)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 8 ice cubes
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Put ⅔ oz fresh mint leaves, ½ oz fresh coriander and 1 green chilli in a blender with about 100 ml of the ½ cup cold water and blend until completely smooth and bright green.
1 minStep 2: Add 14 oz plain yoghurt, the rest of the 1 ¼ cups cold water, ½ tsp black mustard seeds, 1 tsp roasted ground cumin, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp black salt (bit lobon) and 1 tbsp sugar. Blend for 30 seconds, until frothy.
1 minStep 3: Taste: it should be tangy, salty and a little hot, with the sugar just rounding it off. A common mistake is using thick Greek yoghurt without extra water; borhani should be thin enough to drink easily. Pour over 8 ice cubes and serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does borhani take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- 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.
- What can I use instead of plain yoghurt?
- Greek yoghurt loosened with a little milk.
- What can I use instead of fresh mint leaves?
- Fresh coriander, same amount.
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