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Matha
Salted buttermilk
মাঠা (matha): Old Dhaka's salted, churned buttermilk sold in clay pots
Thinner than lassi and salty rather than sweet, matha is what Old Dhaka drinks after a plate of kacchi biryani or a heavy afternoon of tehari and rezala. Vendors around Nazimuddin Road and Bangshal carry it in tall clay pots, churned so long that tiny flecks of butter float on top, and pour it into glasses with a pinch of roasted cumin and black salt. It tastes tangy, cool and faintly smoky, and it cuts through rich, oily food like nothing else. People often make it with thick Greek-style yoghurt and no extra water, which gives a heavy drink that sits in the stomach; matha should be pourable and light. Chef's tip: churn with plenty of ice in the jug so the butter firms into flecks you can skim off or leave floating, as the street sellers do.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain whole-milk yoghurtslightly sour is best
- 1 ¾ cups very cold water
- 6 ice cubes
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 1 /4 tsp black salt (kala namak)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground roasted cumin
- 1 /4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 green chilli (optional)finely chopped
- 6 mint leaves (optional)torn
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz plain whole-milk yoghurt, 1 ¾ cups very cold water and 6 ice cubes in a tall jug and churn with a wooden churner, or blend, for 2–3 minutes until frothy and a few small flecks of butter appear.
3 minStep 2: Add 1 /2 tsp salt, 1 /4 tsp black salt (kala namak), 1 tsp sugar, 3/4 of the ¾ tsp ground roasted cumin and 1 /4 tsp ground black pepper and churn again for 30 seconds; taste and add a little more salt if you like.
2 minStep 3: Pour into glasses, sprinkle with the rest of the ¼ tsp ground roasted cumin and top with 1 green chilli and 6 mint leaves. Drink cold.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 85 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does matha 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 whole-milk yoghurt?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
- What can I use instead of black salt (kala namak)?
- Ordinary salt, same amount (loses the tangy, sulphurous note).
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