Mango Lassi
آم کی لسّی
Mango lassi is what happens to lassi in a Pakistani summer, when the markets fill with Sindhri, Chaunsa and Anwar Ratol. Ripe mango pulp is blended with yogurt and milk into a thick, golden drink that sits halfway between a lassi and a shake. The trick is to let the fruit do the work: really ripe, fragrant mangoes need very little sugar, and a pinch of cardamom brings out their perfume.
- ⏱ Total: 10 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Easy
- Serves 2
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Peel the mangoes and cut the flesh off the stones into chunks. Scrape off any flesh left on the stone; it is the sweetest part.
Put the mango chunks in the blender with the sugar and cardamom and blend for 20–30 seconds to a smooth pulp.
Add the chilled yogurt and cold milk.
Blend for 30–40 seconds until completely smooth, thick and an even pale gold, with no streaks of yogurt.
Add the ice and pulse 3–4 times. Taste and add a little sugar or a splash of milk if it is too sour or too thick.
Pour into chilled glasses, scatter the pistachios on top and serve straight away.
Kitchen notes
Taste the mango before adding sugar. Sindhri and Chaunsa in peak season are sweet enough that you may need none at all.
Fibrous mangoes such as some desi varieties leave strings in the lassi. Blend the pulp first and push it through a sieve before adding the yogurt.
Chill the mangoes for an hour before you start, so the lassi stays thick and cold without much ice.
A summer of mangoes
Pakistan’s mango season runs from late May to early September, starting with Sindhri from Sindh and ending with the late Chaunsa from southern Punjab. Through those months mangoes go into everything: eaten after meals, chopped into fruit chaat, blended into shakes and, of course, into lassi. Mango lassi is popular at breakfast, as an afternoon cooler and at summer tables, where it is filling enough to stand in for a snack.
Letting the mango lead
A good mango lassi tastes of mango first and yogurt second. Use fully ripe fruit that smells sweet at the stem end and gives slightly when pressed. Blending the mango on its own first, with the sugar and cardamom, breaks it down into a smooth pulp; then the yogurt goes in and needs only a short blend. This keeps the lassi thick instead of whipping it thin.
The ratio here is roughly one part mango to one part yogurt, plus a splash of milk to loosen it. For a tangier lassi, use more yogurt and less milk; for a richer, shake-like one, use more mango and milk.
Variations
- Saffron mango lassi: soak a pinch of saffron in a tablespoon of warm milk and blend it in.
- Without sugar: use a very sweet Sindhri and a soft date or two instead of sugar.
- Mango malai lassi: finish each glass with a spoon of and chopped pistachios.
Serving and storing
Serve mango lassi as soon as it is made, in chilled glasses. It keeps in the fridge for up to a day in a covered jug, but it thickens as it sits; stir in a little cold milk before pouring. It also freezes well in ice-lolly moulds for children.
Questions people ask
Can I use canned mango pulp?
Yes, and it is how many people make it out of season. Use about 1 1/2 cups of pulp and skip the sugar at first, since canned pulp is usually sweetened.
Is mango lassi the same as a mango shake?
No. A mango shake is mango blended with milk, often with ice cream. Mango lassi uses yogurt as the base, so it is thicker and has a gentle tang.
Which mango is best for lassi?
Sindhri and Chaunsa are the favourites because they are sweet, fragrant and almost fibre-free. Anwar Ratol is wonderfully aromatic but small, so you need more of them.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 285
- Protein
- 9 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
