Masala chaas - the cool drink that beats a soft drink
Masala chaas is thin curd beaten with water, jeera, curry leaves and black salt. A thin glass can be as low as 35 kcal, and it gives you protein and calcium that a 139 kcal soft drink never will.
Masala chaas is thin curd beaten with chilled water. You add roasted jeera, curry leaves, black salt and a little green chilli. It is cold, salty and a little tangy. On a hot afternoon it feels far better than a sugary soft drink. The best part is the calories. A thin glass can be as low as 35 kcal. Even a rich, curd-heavy glass is about 120 kcal. A 330 ml cola is 139 kcal of pure sugar. Chaas wins on almost every count.
How many calories in your glass of chaas
The number depends on how much curd you use. A rich recipe with 2 cups of curd for 4 glasses gives about 120 kcal per glass. A thin homemade glass with just 2 tablespoons of curd and lots of water is closer to 35 kcal. The jeera, curry leaves and salt add almost nothing. So the same drink can range from about 35 to 120 kcal, and you are in full control.
Assumptions: Thin homemade glass: ~50 g plain whole-milk curd (61 kcal/100 g = ~30 kcal) + chilled water + spices (~5 kcal) = ~35 kcal. Rich curd-heavy glass: Tarla Dalal masala chaas recipe uses 2 cups curd for 4 glasses (full-fat curd) and reports 120 kcal per glass.
Chaas vs a soft drink
Masala chaas is a near-zero-calorie drink
it dependsIt depends. A very thin glass (lots of water, just 2 tablespoons of curd) is about 35 kcal - close to near-zero. But a rich, curd-heavy glass is about 120 kcal. Either way it is lighter than a 139 kcal soft drink, and it gives you protein and calcium too. So it is low-calorie, not truly zero-calorie.
Make it thinner and lighter
Use just 2 tablespoons of curd for one big glass. Fill the rest with chilled water. Add extra roasted jeera, curry leaves and black salt for taste. This drops a rich 120 kcal glass to about 35 kcal - a saving of about 85 kcal, and the flavour is still big.
Assumptions: Rich glass 120 kcal (Tarla Dalal). Thin glass: ~50 g plain whole-milk curd (61 kcal/100 g = ~30 kcal) + chilled water + spices (~5 kcal) = ~35 kcal. Saving = 120 - 35 = 85 kcal.
Keep your chaas light and tasty
- Do not add sugar. Sweet chaas turns into a sweet drink, and the calories climb fast.
- Use low-fat curd to cut the fat calories even more. The taste stays almost the same.
- A pinch of roasted jeera and a few curry leaves give big flavour for almost zero calories.
- Drink it cold and salty on a hot day. It refills lost water and salt better than a cola.
- Chaas has live curd (probiotics), which is good for your tummy. A soft drink has none.
The bottom line
Masala chaas is a smart soft-drink swap. A thin glass is about 35 kcal; a rich one is about 120 kcal. A 330 ml cola is 139 kcal of pure sugar with no protein or calcium. Chaas cools you, helps your digestion, and costs you far fewer calories. Make it thin, keep it salty, and skip the sugar.