Lassi is an insanely delicious probiotic-rich drink, thick and creamy from milk and yogurt and subtly flavored with spices, rosewater and more. Across India you’ll find lassi served in restaurants, cafés and streetside, and it can be either sweet or savory. It's so popular in the Punjab region, where the drink is said to have originated, that roadside restaurants called dhabas are known to mix lassi in washing machines to make dozens of glasses at a time. In Amritsar, a city known for its decadent lassi, it is often made with a fudge-like Indian sweet called pedas, then topped with a dollop of malai (clotted cream) or homemade butter. One glass is like having two full meals! This recipe, sometimes called sweet lassi, is Punjabi version as well and features saffron and cardamom, two lassi flavorings that often go together.
Ingredients
Instructions
Place 2 tablespoons of the milk in a small cup or bowl. Microwave it until warm, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the saffron. Mash with the back of the spoon to get the saffron to release its color and turn the milk a deep yellow.
Combine the remaining milk, the yogurt, sugar, salt, cardamom seeds and the saffron-milk mixture in a blender. Blend on high until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds.
Refrigerate until cold, or serve over ice, garnished with the optional garnishes if using: chopped pistachios, a sprinkle of cardamom powder and/or a few strands of saffron.
You can make this lassi ahead of time and refrigerate it in a covered container for a few days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 198
- Fat Content
- 6g
- Saturated Fat Content
- 4g
- Carbohydrate Content
- 31g
- Fiber Content
- 0g
- Sugar Content
- 30g
- Protein Content
- 7g
- Cholesterol Content
- 16mg
- Sodium Content
- 178mg
