Hello. I’m thrilled to share with you the ONE summer tradition that I have — a tall, icy glass of spiced buttermilk. Now, this is only year 2 of the tradition, but it feels like a keeper. For two reasons: I’m a sucker for an iced drink at 11 am. Nothing makes me feel like the day is soft and generous enough for me to have a mid-day treat. 2. A spiced, salty iced drink is refreshing in ways that I personally think, a sweet beverage can’t compete with.

In Kerala, it’s called sambharam, or moru vellam. Growing up, Milma would sell sambaram in these small, single serve plastic packets. I remember my mind being blown the first time I tried it. It tasted of curry leaves and ginger and the idea of a salty beverage really widened my horizons.

These days, our cook, Ambika, makes, if you can believe it, an even more delicious version, made with amla (gooseberries), mint, curry leaves, and jeera. You can’t really taste the amla here, and I’m sorry, but I think that’s a good thing — I want all the goodness of the amla (it’s a powerhouse of vitamin C), without any of the astringency. It even looks pleasing: a cool, soothing green. There’s a 100 year old gooseberry tree in the front yard in Kannur, and presently, other than using the trunk of the tree as support for the pepper vines, remains largely ignored. I think I’m going to have to make this recipe for mum and get her on the amla buttermilk train.

Recipe: Ambika’s Spiced Amla Buttermilk

(Makes 3 glasses)

Ingredients
3 amla, roughly chopped, pit removed
4 tablespoon Greek yogurt
handful of mint leaves
handful of curry leaves
1 teaspoon jeera seeds
2.5 cups water
Salt to taste

Method
Blitz all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. You can strain this if you’d like. It’s better for you if you don’t.
In a glass with ice cubes, add the buttermilk, and if needed, top up with a little extra water to thin it out to the desired consistency.
Drink while still ice-cold.