I am not a huge fan of Indian food. Maybe I shouldn’t have started with that, considering this drink is Indian. Two years ago as part of activities rounding up the year, my team chose an Indian restaurant to have Christmas dinner. Despite my objections, I guess I constituted the minority, so Indian restaurant it was. I made up my mind not to like anything that was served. It wasn’t that much of a difficult choice because Indian food just doesn’t agree with my senses. Sight, smell and taste. I have nothing against Indian food, please don’t get me wrong but cumin, garam masala and turmeric are the culprits that contribute to my dislike of Indian food, and hardly will you find recipes that don’t include at least one of these spices, if not all three.
So, after looking through the menu, my eyes just spied Mango Lassi quite by accident and I ordered it. Strange thing is, I watch many Indian food shows on Food Network, hoping to pique my interest to try out Indian cooking, but so far, the Lassi is the only one I will try, try and try again. It is sweet, refreshing and a very good pick me up in the mornings, plus it is very filing too. So, if you are on a diet, this is great for you. Don’t say I didn’t give you guys on a diet something now. Lol.
You will need
Mangoes – 2
Ice cubes – 3 to 4 pieces
1 cup of Natural Yoghurt - unsweetened
Milk - optional
Sugar - optional
Toasted cardamom seeds for garnish
I put down optional for milk because many Indian recipes say add milk, but I found that I didn’t like it. I preferred the just yoghurt option. As for sugar, I believe that is self explanatory. If you are staying away from the “white crack”, leave it out.
How To
This is so simple to make, you can do this on your way to work.
1. Dry toast the cardamom seeds in a pan and set aside.
2. Peel the skin of 2 mangoes and chop the pulp into chunks. Throw away the seed
3. Into your blender or smoothie maker, combine the rest of the ingredients (except the cardamom seeds – if you like using them in cooking, you may as well add to the blender). As regards to using milk, I will say try the yoghurt only option first, if you enjoy it then try the yoghurt and milk option, and then you decide which you prefer.
4. Blend until smooth. Taste, and decide if you think you need a little extra sweetness. Sugar or honey will do the trick. it is supposed to be slightly thick and not runny like juice, so be careful with the ice cubes, or milk. If you find it too thick, just add about half or 1 whole mango.
…………..and that’s your Mango Lassi done.
Cold, refreshing and bursting with all the good stuff.
You can make this for breakfast, a fun smoothie for kids, for entertaining, or just a calming relaxing drink on weekends.
