How to make Natural Buttermilk (Chaach)?

Chaach is a homemade skimmed buttermilk with live culture

Chaach is low fat (the butter has been skimmed off), three times quicker to digest than milk (the lactose has been transformed into lactic acid), and the live culture lubricates the intestines and reduces bad bacteria reducing gas and bloating.

Ayurvedic healing suggests drinking Chaach with the meal or following the meal.

In North India, slightly over-ferment Chaach with a strong sour taste is preferred.

Conventional Method (Churning Yogurt)

The yogurt made from whole milk is churned in early cool morning hours when the temperature is below 60º F. The yogurt is churned for 15 minutes breaking the butter-fat separating the butter-grains and Chaach. Continuous churning causes the butter-grains to adhere together and form lumps. Remove the butter lumps and you have Chaach.

In United States, you can use a hand-mixer or a stand-mixer. The beaters will act like paddle in the churner

Alternate Method (From Milk)

You can make buttermilk directly from milk. This is a classic Clabbered Milk recipe

Ingredients

1. 2% low fat milk: 1 Quart

2. Starter Culture: 1 cup

I use Dannon's Natural Regular Yogurt with live culture. Save 1 cup from this batch for your next batch.

Method

1. Add Instant dried fat free milk to Skim milk.  Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan to 200º F. Keep it at 200º F for about 10 minutes.

2. Turn off heat. Let it cool to 77° F.
3. Remove one cup of milk.  Add starter culture. Mix well. Return to the main body of milk and stir well.

4. Wrap a blanket around and let it sit in a warm corner of the house. On average, it will take about 24 hours to get the milk clabbered if the incubation temperature was between 74° F and 77° F. Higher incubation temperature or longer incubation period will render more sour taste.

5. Cool it in the refrigerator for about two hours before using.