Neer Majjige/Spiced buttermilk

Spiced buttermilk, i make many versions of this humble summer cooler at home. I add or subtract ingredients as i wish and what i have in my pantry and make a yumm drink during summer or whenever i feel like having some cold drink.

So, when i was looking for a accompaniment with Nuchina unde/Nuchinunde, the thought of spiced buttermilk came. Since these are lentil balls, which usually will be little heavy, i thought something thin, that helps in digestion would be a great accompaniment. 

Usually nuchinunde is served with Majjige/.morekuzhambu, but we preferred this neer majjige. My elder one, actually dunked the unde into the majjige and enjoyed it, whereas my hubby preferred biting the unde and sipping the majjige along. It was one fun breakfast for us.

Ingredients

1 cup thick buttermilk

1.5 cups water

handful of fresh coriander leaves

handful of fresh mint leaves

1 inch piece of ginger

salt to taste

Tempering (optional)

1/4 tsp oil

2 pinches of mustard seeds

a sprig of curry leaf

2-3 red chilies

a pinch of hing

Method

• Take coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger in  a mixer, grind it to a smooth paste. Add this to the buttermilk, thin it down with water. Add salt.
• Heat a small tadka pan with oil given under tempering, splutter mustard seeds, ad curry leaves, red chilies and hing. When the curry leaves turn lil crisp, pour the sizzling tadka over the majjige/buttermilk.

• Enjoy it as such or with any heavy meal. I served it along Nuchinunde/steamed lentil balls, a Karnataka special breakfast.