My mom and her friends meet and dine, at least once a year, at Samrat - a vegetarian restaurant in Churchgate. Every single time, mom and all aunties order a Gujarati thali. I, as always,  am very curious to know what exactly was served in that thali. This time, I discovered - along with the usual suspects - it was "boondi chaas" - flavored buttermilk with boondies floating. Well, I had to try it myself. So here's my version.

Boondi Chaas
Flavored Buttermilk
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups drinking water, preferably chilled
• 1 tbsp ginger, peeled & chopped
• 3-4 mint leaves, fresh
• 1 green chili (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt to taste

Garnish

• 1 tbsp salty boondi per serving

Method
1. Blend all the ingredients except boondi in a blender
2. Refrigerate till ready to serve.
3. Just before serving, pour in the serving glasses and add 1 tbsp boondi per glass.

Note -
1. I used fat free yogurt. Full fat yogurt will give a richer flavor.
2. Adjust water according to thick or thin consistency.
3. Use drinking water since we are not going to boil this dish.
4. My proportion of cilantro and mint gave a light green hue to this "chaas". If you want deeper green color, increase the amount of cilantro.
5. Do not use dry mint or cilantro.
6. Chaat masala has rock salt in it so adjust salt accordingly.
7. Boondi are generally available at your local Indian stores.
8. Do not use sweetened boondi for this recipe.

Credits
Samrat
Prem Court, Jamshedji Tata Road, Churchgate , Mumbai

Source:  Enjoy Indian Food