Mango Lassi - Indian Yogurt Drink

If you've ever been to an Indian restaurant and had the pleasure of ordering a lassi, you know how amazing they are! Mango and strawberry are the usuals around my area, but they can be made many different ways. Here's what you'll need for 2 drinks:

Photo byflavor quotient

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen mangoes
• 3/4 cup plain custard - style yogurt
• 3/4 cup milk (or 4 ice cubes)
• 1 1/2 - 3 Tbl sugar
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Optional Garnish:

• 1 tsp chopped pistachios
• 1 pinch saffron strands
• 4 Tbl whipped cream

If using fresh mangoes, chill or freeze them for a few hours to ensure that the drink stays cold and thick.

When ready to mix:

Combine chilled or frozen mangoes, yogurt, milk (or ice cubes), cardamom powder, and 1 1/2 Tbl of sugar in a blender and pulse to combine. Taste test and add any additional sugar or milk / ice as neccesary, then blend smooth.

Pour mango lassi into serving glasses and top with chopped nuts, saffron, and / or whipped cream. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

*Notes:

This recipe is so easy to adjust. If you prefer to use a vanilla greek yogurt, simply do not add in the additional sugar (unless desired).

I prefer to use freshly frozen mangoes for this. You can use the bagged frozen mangoes, but I find that those are ususally not ripe when frozen. I tend to lean towards slicing chunks of a ripe, fresh mango. then freezing those pieces to make my lassi. It really does make a big difference.

Swap out mangoes for strawberries for a strawberry lassi, or you can turn it into a chocolate lassi by adding a couple tablespoons of chocolate sauce.