Vegan Peanut Buttermilk

All credit for this recipe goes to my friend Achala Pani and her Mum. I am only capturing all of this on a blog for a colleague whose son turned vegan recently and she wants to be supportive of his decision ! 

Ingredients 

Raw peanuts : 1/cup 

Water to soak : no specific measurement actually 

Water to grind : anywhere between 350 -450 ml 

Lemon: 1-2

For garnish and flavor 

Coriander leaves: 1/4 cup 

Cumin Power: 1/2 tspn 

Salt (Black and regular) : to taste 

Ginger and chilly pounded or grated : 1 tbspn and of course depending on taste 

Asafetida : 1/4 tspn 

Lemon: 1-2

Process 

Soak Peanuts for a minimum of 2 hours in room temperature water

At the end of two hours, drain and grind in a regular mixer with 350-450 ml of water till smooth. Very similar to making coconut milk at home. You may or may not choose to sieve the milk in a muslin cloth to remove the granular bit. I do it, cause I find it too chunky and also since I compost at home , the peanut fiber serves as a great source of nutrition for my plants :)

Now transfer to a cooking vessel and boil in the stove till the milk boils like regular milk. Do this on low heat so you do not burn the milk. This should take about 10-15 mins depending on the flame and quantity. 

Now let the milk cool down to room temperature. It will look exactly like "Dairy" milk at this point. 

Now use the juice of 1 lemon to break or curdle the milk. Stir very very gently to ensure that the texture of the curd is maintained. (*Kindly excuse my meowing cat in the background)

I normally do all of this in the evening so I can let the curd, covered, set over night and I usually prefer leaving it in a microwave that is switched off or near a warm gas stove. The warmth helps the curd set better. The next day morning, this is how it should look. Am tilting it in order to show you how it has set. 

Now set the curd in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours. This helps it firm up better. Once done, take it out and garnish it with cumin, coarse ginger+green chilly paste, asafetida, black and rock salt, freshly chopped coriander leaves and more lemon juice for taste. I use a hand blender to do this, it is not mandatory though. 

OPTIONAL : You can use like a Dahi malsala or a chaas masala or even do spluttered mustard in oil , like a tadka if you like. I do it based on my mood. 

Once done transfer to glass bottles and store. It lasts 3-4 days. However , when in the fridge, the fat and water will separate. I just shake the bottle well ,before I consume it. 

TADA : Yummy Peanut Buttermilk is ready. The curd can also be used as it, although , I dont like the taste of it :(, so I prefer the buttermilk form.