Mango Lassi

I went to lunch with the two Indian guys in the office today - possibly a mistake because one, M, spent 30 minutes obsessing about mangoes, which are now in season here. A long discussion on the health benefits, calorie content, and danger of mango overdose ensued. You may be familiar with this sort of conversation - lots of talk with minimal actual knowledge on the topic.

In their honor, and since I mentioned lassis in my Food Street post, here’s a recipe for a mango lassi. Remember, they taste best in aluminum cups!

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yoghurt (or plain soy yogurt for you vegans!)
1 medium ripe mango pulp, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup chilled water (and/or ice)
¼ tsp cardamom powder (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. To take out any lumps, put through a strainer, pushing out the liquid as you can.

Be sure to select a ripe mango. Here is M's mango peeling technique: “Turn the mango upside down and make a small hole at the bottom of it with a sharp knife. And then, holding the skin between your thumb and knife, gently peeeeel the mango.”

To increase or decrease the thickness of the lassi, adjust the amount of water/ice used.

This isn't an Afghan drink, but it's really good.