This is how you take a couple of simple ingredients and combine them to make something that is the magical combination of healthy, pretty and tasty all in one glass. There are two main things that go into a mango lassi. Mango, obviously, and yogurt but we will come back to the yogurt in a minute, first the mango… ah mango!
Sometimes when you enter the fruit section in a shop there is an incredible smell of pine trees, and that is how mango presents itself. At least it does to me, I have just said this out loud and John is looking at me like I am mad but I don’t care. Mangos can vary a lot in size, shape, skin color, flesh color, taste and sweetness, but they are all wonderful things.
Mangos, like any tropical fruits really, are good for you. They are low in calories but for sure high in nutrients, vitamins B6, A, E, K and C, riboflavin, thiamine and magnesium to name just some of them. They are also versatile and it seems like there are about a million ways to use a mango. Here in Mexico they love to eat slices of it dried with different spices, they range from mildly peppery to super chili. Well, we are not fans of it. We are fans of using them in smoothies, salads, sauces, jams and even pickling them, and of course of making a lassi.
So what is there not to love about the mango, it is even the national fruit of several countries – Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Haiti and (unofficially) the Philippines. We like Indian cuisine and this is one of my favourite recipes that you can easily make at home.
Enough about the fruit, because there is also natural yogurt, another super tasty and healthy thing. You can buy dairy, an increasing variety of vegan non-dairy options or even make your own. Whichever you choose, it should be unsweetened and live is best if you can find it easily.
Rima’s Vegan (or not) Lassi Recipe
I bet you have already tasted a mango lassi at some Indian restaurant somewhere or maybe during your travels if you have been lucky enough to get to India. It is a super easy drink to make. Good bacteria will dance around in your gut and you will get all of the benefits from the mango.
If you are making any kind of Indian food for your family or friends, curries, koftas, masalas, then why not also make some lassi to create some smiles. Or you can have it for breakfast instead of a morning smoothie or flavored yogurts. Really it’s great at any time.
This is what you will need to serve two people:
- 2 ripe mangos (depending on the type around 300 grams)
- 200gr yogurt (soya for vegans, or plain greek for others)
- 120ml plant based milk (I use almond, but any kind of milk is fine)
- 2 big sticks of Ceylon cinnamon (or whatever cinnamon you can get)
It is best to start with preparing the milk. I like cinnamon a lot; the smell, the taste and just the benefits it is full of. So put the milk into a pan, add cinnamon sticks and heat it on a low heat to just below boiling point. We use non sweetened almond milk and the cinnamon will give it some sweetness. Keep it just simmering and not boiling, heat it for around 10-15 min then turn it off and let it cool down. Actually if you want your drink to be more liquid just increase the amount of milk ๐
While the milk infusion is in progress prepare the mango. Peel the fruits and cut them into pieces. It is fine to use less or more fruit depending on what you have, just make sure they are ripe! Put all of the mango pieces into a blender, or into a bowl and use a hand blender. Then add the yogurt and blend it together. When the milk is cool you can add it to the rest and mix again.
Basically your Manga Lassi is done. You might like to cool it down in the fridge and serve it in some nice glasses ๐ You can add the cinnamon sticks you used before as a decoration or maybe sprinkle with some crushed pistachios.
