LUCY BURDETTE: While in India for two weeks, we ate lots and lots of
wonderful Indian food, most of it very spicy. Not necessarily hot--unless you
asked for that, but definitely spicy. A man we met explained it this way: Indians don’t
like plain food. That was certainly our experience! (We did not eat street food or uncooked vegetables--did not want to risk the dreaded Delhi belly.)
One day I noticed that two of the other travelers in our group – both originally from England – were sipping tall white drinks at both lunch and dinner. They explained that this was a yogurt drink called a lassi, good for calming stomachs that might be a little bit distressed by traveling and unfamiliar flavors.
So I tried one and was instantly hooked. Apparently there are salty lassies as well as sweet, which can contain fruit, especially mango. I only tried the plain one as we were being very cautious about eating fruit too. But I determined I would make one and share it when I got home. So here is the simple recipe for a mango lassi.
IngredientsOne ripe mango
About 3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
Sprinkle of cardamom
Ice cubes
Peel and pit the mango and whirl it in your blender or food processor until puréed. Then add the yogurt and whirl that in too. If it's too thick to drink, add a couple of ice cubes and grind them up with the yogurt/mango mixture. Or you can just add the ice cubes to the glass. Sprinkle with a little cardamom and enjoy!
And here for your viewing pleasure are a few photos of
Indian food and vendors...
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| Street food sure looked good! |
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| Feeding the pigeons for good Karma |
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| A fancy feast! |
Are you a fan of Indian food? Or an adventurous eater?
Yum! Thanks for the great pictures and the recipe . . . can’t wait to try this. Will this recipe work with other fruitst??
ReplyDeleteI enjoy trying different cuisines . . . I like spicy, but not extremely hot.
Sure, Joan, peach? strawberry? blueberry? all of those should work!
DeleteEven though I have not commented, I've followed your Indian adventures avidly, Roberta. What a wonderful trip you and John had. The single word that seems to best describe that amazing country is "vivid". The colors, the sounds, the smells, and the food, all fit, no?
ReplyDeleteA book club friend who has traveled widely served mango lassi once for our meeting after reading a book that took place in India. We usually have food that fits the theme, and I was smitten with the yummy flavors of everything in the meal. I've had some Indian food, but not nearly enough! My husband doesn't care for eating out as much as I do, and he isn't very adventurous with food, either. But I bet he'd enjoy lassi.
Yes, vivid! Such fun for your book club to serve food that fits the theme...
DeleteThe photos from India have been fabulous--(an exotic respite from the rain and gray skies here)! Thanks for sharing your trip!
ReplyDeleteI do like Indian food, and I'm fairly adventurous when it comes to food--I think my nephew would love the lassi--mango, blueberry, strawberry--so thanks for the recipe, too!
you are welcome, and thanks to every one of you for following along!
DeleteI'm not a fan of yogurt but I love a mango lassi. Never occurred to me that I could MAKE one. Thanks, Lucy!
ReplyDeleteI do like Indian food. One of my favorite company dishes is chicken curry - my recipe has lemon juice and fresh apple chunks cooked into the curry sauce, and serve it with an array of toppings (raisins, toasted almonds, shredded unsweetened coconut, chutney, scallions, cucumbers in yogurt (raita)...) and of course with delicious Indian bread - papadums come packaged and are easy to crisp up.
My favorite thing to order in a restaurant is tandoori chicken... imho impossible to replicate at home. Lucy, did you have that in India?
and PS a few years back when Lucy and I were in NY together we walked down 3rd ave. from the hyatt... down to the upper 20s where there are a bunch of Indian food stores. Indian spices bought from an Indian food store are worth the trip.
Hallie, your list of chutneys is very much like mine. I uses cashews instead of almonds and the raita is a foregone conclusion. Have a look at the salad thing I posted below. Trust me on this. It is incroyable. xox
DeleteI still have big sacks from that shop Hallie, did you use yours up?
DeleteI still have big sacks from that shop Hallie, did you use yours up?
DeleteI Do have a tiny bit of cumin. Time to go back.
Delete" I only tried the plain one... " was it only liquid yogourt with cardamom? I'll try the mango lassi.
ReplyDeleteNot many Indian food around home but on two or three occasions, I,liked it.
Not very adventurous but when traveling , as we say in French : à Rome, fait comme un Romain. So I try at least some of the local food and drink
that's a great attitude Danielle!
DeleteLast night I made a chicken tikka masala, which was to die for. I would have loved a mango lassi to go with. If you have trouble, as I do, peeling a @#$#@% mango, you can buy mango puree in most Indian shops, would make getting a mango lassi together much easier.
ReplyDeleteMy tikka masala was very spicy and moderately hot. I like a dollop of plain yogurt with it as well as a very odd salad sort of thing. It consists of sliced bananas, tomatoes and onions, sprinkle of coconut and the juice of a couple of limes. So refreshing and takes much of the heat out of whatever curry I spilled the red pepper flakes into!
We have a couple of excellent Indian restaurants around, and we have an Indian friend with whom we like to go to dinner. We always let Jyoti order for the whole table, and does that every work well!
sounds soooo good!
DeleteFortunately, Toronto has a goodly supply of Indian restaurants and grocery stores (plus just about every other kind of cuisine too) so we're all set. I love to head down to Gerrard St and enjoy a buffet feast.
ReplyDeleteLucy! You are my foodie role model! And your question on Facebook today is hilarious....I am thinking about it way too much.
ReplyDeleteI hope the lassi wasn't made with ice cubes in India! They are major culprits in Dehli Belly. When we make curries at home we accompany it raita( cucumber in yoghurt) and banana in yoghurt
ReplyDeleteI thought about that once I was home and looking for recipes Rhys:). All's well that ends welll
DeleteThat looks delicious, Lucy! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful pictures of India. What an amazing trip!
ReplyDeleteI started cooking with Indian recipes several years ago for health reasons. I watched you tube to learn the techniques. We are blessed with many Indian Restaurants in Tampa, and my favorite grocery store is a warehouse type for Chinese, Indian and Mexican cuisine. The spice isle, oh my, jars and bags of spices at a very low cost.
ReplyDeleteToday I will be making a green curry with rabbit as the protein. Lucy/Roberta, should I save a bowl for you?
Hmmm, rabbit. Probably not:) But the warehouse sounds divine!
DeleteThe first photo reminded me of Indian dishes that we have at Indian restaurants in the USA. I remember a friend and her husband were training for their trip to Nepal by going to Nepalese restaurants before traveling there.
ReplyDeleteI discovered Indian food in my twenties. After I came back from England, someone asked me if I ate Indian food there and I said no. The next time I went to England, I had Indian food like tandoori.
Diana
that's tough training for Nepal--I thought you might say they were hiking to get ready!
Deletethat too :-)
DeleteOur tour stayed in really nice hotels in India. All offered a buffet at breakfast with lassi to drink. Delicious! You've inspired me to make one!
ReplyDeleteI love Indian food, and have had mango lassi quite a few times in the UK. Thanks for the idea today, Lucy! I have mangoes and plain yogurt, so guess what I'm having for lunch?
ReplyDeleteOh, and I applaud your restraint in resisting the street food. It looks so good and so interesting. I would have been sorely tempted.
ReplyDeletewe didn't want to take the chance of getting sick--the tour was so so busy, there was no time to be sick. Especially since I'd wasted the first day and a half:)
DeleteOh, that sounds delicious, Lucy. Out in AZ, we have loads of mangoes for cheap. I love Indian food so I am most definitely trying this.
ReplyDeleteAgain I thoroughly enjoyed the photographs of your trip. I do enjoy Indian food very much. However, even though there are 3 Indian restaurants in walking distance from my apartment, I haven't visited any of them. When I was young an living in Manhattan, my best friend was Indian and he introduced me to an upscale Indian restaurant called Akbar on Park Avenue. My favorite dessert was something called RasMalai. It was made with milk and sugar which was curdled and recurdled until there was a sweet patty of something a little firmer than cottage cheese which was served in the milk/sugar liquid.
ReplyDeleteI like spicy foods as my dad did. Mom and my brother couldn't eat them. It's the same now with my friends. When Rick and Donna aren't coming, Vilay, Dianel, and I head to Bollywood for lunch. I buy some Indian packaged meals, too.
ReplyDeleteLove, love mango lassi! Will try your recipe at home. And I make chicken tikka masala at home too, another favorite! I enjoyed your pics & stories about your India trip. Thank you.
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