Ingredients
Drink
- 1 kgthick plain yoghurt
- 500 mlcold water
- 100 gfresh mint leaves
- 2green chillies
- 1 tspyellow mustard seeds
- 1 tspcumin seeds
- 1 tspblack salt
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspsugar
- ½ tspground white pepper
- ¼ tspground black pepper
To serve
- coriander leaves
- ice
Directions
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat until they darken a shade and smell nutty, then grind them. Pre-ground cumin has no business in this drink and tastes dusty in it.
- Grind the mustard seeds, green chillies and mint together to a paste with a splash of water. The mustard is what gives borhani its sharp, sinus-clearing edge; leave it out and you have made a mint lassi instead.
- Whisk the yoghurt until completely smooth, then whisk in the cold water until it pours easily from the whisk. Borhani is a thin drink, not a thick one.
- Push the mint and mustard paste through a fine sieve into the yoghurt, pressing hard with the back of a spoon and discarding the fibres left behind. Unstrained, the mint fibre makes the whole glass gritty.
- Add the black salt, ordinary salt, sugar, ground cumin and both peppers, and whisk again.
- Taste it. It should read salty and peppery first and only faintly sweet, because its job is to cut the fat of kacchi biryani rather than to be a dessert.
- Chill for at least 3 hours. Freshly mixed borhani tastes disjointed and only comes together once the spices have had time in the yoghurt.
- Strain once more, stir well, and serve very cold in glasses with a coriander leaf floated on top.
Technique
- Black salt is not interchangeable with sea salt. Its sulphurous note is the single most recognisable thing about the drink.
- Serve it with the meal rather than before it. At Dhaka weddings it arrives at the same moment as the biryani.
- It separates on standing, which is normal. Whisk it again rather than adding more yoghurt.
Substitutions
- ½ tsp mustard powder in place of the seeds.
- Greek yoghurt thinned with more water if you cannot get a thick set yoghurt.
- A small piece of ginger ground in with the mint for extra bite.
Variations
- A milder version with half the mustard and no chilli, made for children.
- With a pinch of ground cardamom, which some Dhaka families add.
- Blended with ice and served as a slush at summer weddings.
History
Spiced yoghurt drink served with kacchi biryani at Dhaka weddings, seasoned with mustard, mint and black salt to cut the fat.
Frequently asked questions
What is Borhani?
Borhani is a drink from Bangladesh: peppery mint-yogurt drink served alongside biryani at weddings. Spiced yoghurt drink served with kacchi biryani at Dhaka weddings, seasoned with mustard, mint and black salt to cut the fat.
How long does Borhani take to make?
Borhani takes 20 min plus 3 hr chilling of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 8 glasses. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Borhani?
Yes, within limits. ½ tsp mustard powder in place of the seeds. Greek yoghurt thinned with more water if you cannot get a thick set yoghurt. A small piece of ginger ground in with the mint for extra bite.
What is the most important thing to get right in Borhani?
Push the mint and mustard paste through a fine sieve into the yoghurt, pressing hard with the back of a spoon and discarding the fibres left behind. Unstrained, the mint fibre makes the whole glass gritty.
