Neer Mor (Challa Charu / Spiced buttermilk / Masala chaas) is a refreshing yogurt drink that’s popular in India as a cooling beverage to beat the scorching summer heat. The name comes from the Tamil language, Neer = water and Mor = buttermilk. It is one of the offerings made for Lord Rama on his birthday, which is celebrated across India as the festival “Sri Rama Navami”. The other two are Panagam and Kosumalli. Here is our family favorite Neer Mor recipe passed on from my mom’s kitchen to yours. Let’s dive in.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Ingredients

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

1. 1 cup plain yogurt 
2. 2 cups water
3. ¼ tsp. asafoetida (hing)
4. ½ tsp. salt or to taste
5. 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
6. 1 Tbsp. cilantro leaves, finely chopped
7. 2 Tbsp. cucumbers, finely diced – optional but recommended
8. 1 – 2 Tbsp. lemon juice or juice from half a lemon – optional but recommended

For tempering

1. 1 tsp. avocado oil or any cooking oil
2. ¼ tsp. mustard seeds
3. 1 tsp. green chilli, finely chopped – optional

Kitchen Tools

1. Medium size mixing bowl
2. Hand blender or a whisk (matthu – traditional Indian whisk)
3. Scoop ladle
4. Tempering pan

PREPARATION (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1 – In a medium size mixing bowl, add 1 cup plain yogurt, 2 cups water, ¼ tsp. asafoetida and ½ tsp. salt. Beat everything thoroughly to a runny smooth texture with a hand blender or a whisk (or a traditional matthu if you have one). This will take a minute or two depending on the tool you use

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Step 2 – Add 1 sprig curry leaves separated from the stem and randomly chopped and 1 Tbsp. cilantro finely chopped

Step 3 – Add 2 Tbsp. finely diced cucumbers. This is an optional ingredient, but if you have cucumbers handy, I recommend you include it for an added crunch (cucumbers are known to have cooling properties and their alkaline properties help balance out the acidity of buttermilk)

Step 4 – Squeeze half a lemon or 1 – 2 Tbsp. lemon juice. This is an optional step and is usually added if you are using fresh yogurt. If the yogurt is already sour, skip the lemon juice. Set this yogurt mixture aside

Step 5 – Set a tempering pan on medium heat and add 1 tsp. avocado oil (or any other cooking oil with a neutral flavor). When the oil is hot, add ¼ tsp. mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. At this time, add 1 tsp. finely chopped green chilies and let the corners of the green chilli start to brown

Step 6 – Turn off the heat and add this tempering to the yogurt mixture and mix well with a scoop ladle

Step 7 – Allow it to cool in the refrigerator or let it sit on the counter top for half an hour to an hour before serving. This resting time helps the flavors from all the chopped herbs to incorporate into the buttermilk

Step 8 – Enjoy your sublime neer mor😋

Note: Neer mor can be enjoyed immediately but tastes great when chilled for about an hour allowing the buttermilk to absorb the flavors from the spices.

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Indian buttermilk is a traditional buttermilk, different from the cultured buttermilk in Western countries used for baking (buttermilk pancakes, as an example). It was used as a stand-alone drink, as in the recipe above. It was also used in combination with other foods. In olden times in India, especially with no refrigerators, people added water to left-over rice to preserve it. The next morning, the rice ferments to make it rich in probiotics. The rice-water mixture is then mashed by hand and added to yogurt, salt, and asafoetida to create ‘karaicha saadam’ (hand-mixed rice) or ‘pazhaya saadam kanji’ (old rice porridge). This turned into a staple breakfast for many farming families in southern India. This rarely heard of recipe might sound strange to my US and Canadian friends, but if you love cold soups, you will relish this. My kids love this as an after-school snack. Enjoy this Sublime spicy Neer Mor and kariacha saadam this summer😋

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Thank you for stopping by. If you’ve tried this recipe, I would love to hear from you. Please add your comments below and / or rate this recipe. Your feedback will help me improve and share better recipes with you.