Piyush Recipe – a coolant drink for summers. This drink is made from curd / buttermilk and shrikhand mainly further spiced with cardamom, nutmeg powder. Also nuts and saffron are added in this drink. Remember my childhood days whenever I make this drink at home and is quite nostalgic. This drink is great for people who are fasting as it’s filling and keep the hunger pangs at bay.
Piyush means honey in India. The shrikhand imparts a creamy, smooth and thick texture to the drink. So the name and title is apt for this drink 🙂
Creamy, thick, delicious, aromatic and colorful is piyush. Mostly drank during summers as it acts as a coolant to your body. In Mumbai it’s made in different style and as you go towards Gujarat its’ made slightly different. Some places in Mumbai serves piyush and is quite popular drink. Dadar has a lot of places and joints serving authentic piyush. I don’t know where you to hunt them in Pune hence made at home.
I have adapted and modified this recipe from dassana@vegrecipesofindia. Loved her clicks and got inspired to make piyush looking at her recipe. Just modified by adding some kewra water for the aroma and saffron infused milk for the pale yellow color.
This drink has to be served chilled for best flavor and taste. I have used earthen pots called as khullard here. Mud pots keep the drink cool so place them in your fridge of in a vessel containing ice for instant cooling. You could whisk this mixture manually or use a traditional wooden churner (madani). I have used the churner for my drink.
How to make piyush recipe stepwise:
1. Place saffron in hot milk for 3-4 mins. Stir the mixture nicely. Allow to cool.
2. Combine curd, milk, saffron infused milk, shrikhand, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, kewra water and sugar into a mixing bowl.
3. Now blend with a electric beater, manually whisk or use a wooden churner (madani). Blend all until mixture is smooth and creamy.
4. Pour into earthen or clay pots and place into the refrigerator for 2-3 hrs. Serve your piyush chilled and garnish with saffron and sliced pistachios. You could also add 1/2 pinch of nutmeg or cardamom powder on the garnish.
Piyush recipe card below:
- 200 gms shrikhand plain or cardamom flavored shrikhand
- 1.5 cup yogurt (dahi)
- ½ cup milk or as required (doodh)
- 1 tbsp hot milk + a pinch of saffron strands (infuse saffron in hot milk for some time)
- 2-3 tbsp sugar or as required (shakar)
- 1 tsp cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- a pinch of nutmeg powder (jaiphal powder)
- 6-7 pistachios sliced thinly (pista)
- 1 pinch of saffron strand (kesar(
- 1 tbsp vetiver water (kewra water) optional
- Place saffron in hot milk for 3-4 mins. Stir the mixture nicely. Allow to cool.
- Combine curd, milk, saffron infused milk, shrikhand, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, kewra water and sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Now blend with a electric beater, manually whisk or use a wooden churner (madani). Blend all until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Pour into earthen or clay pots and place into the refrigerator for 2-3 hrs. Serve your piyush chilled and garnish with saffron and sliced pistachios. You could also sprinkle some cardamom or nutmeg powder on the garnish.
2. Ensure you serve them chilled for the best results in flavor and taste.
3. Add sugar accordingly as shrikhand is sweet so be careful while adding sugar.
4. You could use any serving bowl or glass not necessarily mud pots.
5. Also if you don't have saffron available then add ¼th tsp of turmeric powder for the pale yellow color.
priya says
nice recipe!
but piyush doent mean honey
it means Amrut!
maria says
Thankyou Priya 🙂