Lassi

Yoghurt let down with water and blended, served in a clay cup.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (yoghurt).

Ingredients

• 800 g plain yoghurt, cold
• 400 ml cold water
• 2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, for the salted version
• 4 tablespoons sugar, for the sweet version
• ice

Method

1. YOGHURT LET DOWN WITH WATER AND BLENDED, SERVED IN A CLAY CUP. Its article's method is one line -- lassi IS PREPARED BY BLENDING YOGURT, WATER, AND SPICES -- and it names the vessel as part of the thing: LASSI IS SERVED IN A CLAY CUP KNOWN AS KULHAR. Unglazed clay takes up a little water, so the cup sweats and the drink stays cold, and it tastes faintly of earth. That is not sentiment; it is why the cup is mentioned at all.
2. TWO PARTS YOGHURT TO ONE OF WATER, AND BOTH COLD. Thinner than that and it is a drink of water; thicker and it is a bowl of yoghurt with a straw in it. Its article's word for the consistency is SMOOTHIE-LIKE.
3. BLEND IT LONGER THAN SEEMS NECESSARY. A full minute. The froth on top is the point, and a stirred lassi has none of it.
4. SALT OR SUGAR, AND DECIDE BEFORE YOU BLEND. The article's variations are THE ADDITION OF SALT, CUMIN OR CARDAMOM. The salted one is the older and the better with food; the sweet one is a dessert.
5. ROASTED CUMIN, GROUND JUST BEFORE IT GOES IN. Toasted in a dry pan until it smells of smoke, then crushed. This is the one ingredient worth the trouble.
6. ICE IN THE JUG, NOT IN THE CUP. Blended with the drink it chills it through; dropped in afterwards it dilutes the top half only.
7. TASTE IT COLD AND SEASON IT AGAIN. Cold flattens both salt and sugar. It should taste slightly too strong while you are standing at the blender.
8. ITS ARTICLE NAMES TWO VERSIONS WORTH KNOWING ABOUT. LASSI MASALEWAL (SPICY LASSI) IS MADE BY ADDING INGREDIENTS SUCH AS ALMONDS, GINGER, GREEN CHILIES, AND PISTACHIOS TO NAMKIN LASSI -- a savoury drink with chilli in it. The other is bhang lassi, which contains a cannabis derivative, is legal in parts of India and is sold mainly at Holi.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes