Mango Lassi
Mango was everywhere when I was growing up in Malaysia: cut up and shared at the table the way you treat fruit when you have too much of it and need to do something before it turns, not particularly remarked upon, just present. The lassi came later, through the Indian restaurant I have been going to in the city for fifteen years, the same one where I first tried gulab jamun and went home immediately to figure out how to make it, and the first time I ordered the lassi I understood it in about three sips. I feel that lassi made with low-fat yogurt is a decision you will regret in the glass: the richness is the point, and full-fat plain yogurt is the only correct choice. Cardamom is not decoration; it is what keeps this from tasting like a mango smoothie, which is a fine thing but a different thing entirely. Most of the time, less is always more, and nowhere is this truer than with rose water.
Mango Lassi
Mango lassi is the kind of drink that asks almost nothing of you, a blender, a ripe mango, yogurt, and five minutes, and gives back something cold and sweet and deeply satisfying. Growing up, mango was never a special-occasion fruit; it was just the fruit, the one my family in Malaysia could produce in quantities that made rationing seem absurd. Making this at home is the closest thing to that, even if my mango came from a supermarket and not someone's garden.
Ingredients
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cubed (or 300g / 1° cups frozen mango chunks)
240ml (1 cup) full-fat plain yogurt
120ml (° cup) whole milk, plus more to thin if needed
1-2 tbsp sugar or honey, to taste
° tsp ground cardamom
A small pinch of fine salt
A few drops of rose water (optional)
Ice, to serve
Instructions
If using fresh mango, peel, pit, and roughly cube it. If using frozen, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, it doesn't need to fully thaw, just soften slightly so the blender doesn't complain.
Combine the mango, yogurt, milk, sugar, cardamom, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 45 seconds. If the texture is thicker than you'd like, add a splash more milk and blend again.
Taste and adjust, more sugar if the mango is tart, a little more cardamom if you want it more fragrant. The pinch of salt is not optional, even though it sounds like it should be. It rounds everything out.
If using rose water, add two or three drops now and blend briefly. No more than that. Rose water is the kind of ingredient that goes from lovely to overwhelming without any warning, and there is no coming back from it.
Serve immediately over ice. If making ahead, refrigerate for up to a day and stir well before pouring, as it will separate.
Hi, I'm Sarina!
I'm passionate about food, photography, and food styling. I want to share my unique perspective with you. Have a look around at my recipes and blog
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