Lassi Recipe (Indian Yogurt Drink)

Making Sweet Lassi

1. In a mortar, take the green cardamom pods and crush them lightly. Remove the husks and crush the seeds to a fine powder.
2. In a bowl or pan, take fresh chilled curd (yogurt).
3. With the handheld wooden churner (madani)or blender or wired whisk, simply whisk the curd until it becomes smooth.
4. Add sugar and cold water. You can also add cold milk instead of water.
5. The consistency of this lassi is neither thick nor thin. For a thin lassi, add slightly more water and for a thicker version, add less water .
6. Now churn or beat again with the churner, blender or wired whisk.
7. Keep on churning or whisking until the sugar dissolves and you see a nice frothy layer on top. You can use an immersion blender for the same. Another way is to add all the ingredients in a blender jar and blend until smooth and frothy.
8. Now add the crushed cardamom powder and saffron strands. Mix well. Do check the taste and add more sugar if required.
9. As a substitute for cardamom powder, add rose water. You can skip all the flavoring ingredients, if you don't have any.
10. Pour lassi in tall glasses and serve. Add a few ice cubes if you prefer. If you want, you can top lassi in each glass with 1 to 2 tablespoons of malai (the thick layer of cream which collects on top of heated milk) or 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsalted white butter (makhan).
11. Garnish with a pinch or two of cardamom powder, 2 to 3 crushed saffron strands or chopped nuts like cashews, pistachios or almonds. Serve sweet punjabi lassi straightaway.
12. Note that you could also make lassi in an electric blender, by simply blending all the ingredients - yogurt, sugar, cardamom powder, saffron and water or milk.

Making Salted Lassi

1. Take the curd and water in a bowl or pan. Season with salt and roasted cumin powder.
2. To make your own roasted ground cumin, dry roast cumin seeds in a small skillet or frying pan until fragrant. Then crush in a mortar-pestle or grind finely in a spice-grinder.
3. With a wired whisk blend everything well till smooth. A blender or an immersion blender also works.
4. Pour the salted lassi in glasses. Garnish with mint leaves. You can add a few ice cubes if you like. If you wish to avoid the ice cubes, then make lassi with chilled yogurt and cold water.

Making Masala Lassi

1. In a blender take the curd, crushed seeds of the green cardamons, crushed black pepper, grated nutmeg, chopped almonds or cashews or pistachios or a mix of all three nuts.
2. Add the saffron strands and chopped palm jaggery (palm sugar) or jaggery or sugar. Add water.
3. Blend until smooth and frothy. Check the taste and add more palm sugar if needed and blend again. Serve straightaway topped with a few saffron strands or chopped nuts.

Serving Suggestions

1. Serve lassi as a refreshing drink during the daytime or serve it as drink it after any Indian meal.
2. While serving sweet lassi, garnish with some chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds.
3. Salted lassi can be topped with fresh mint or coriander leaves and a light sprinkling of roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) or chaat masala.

Storage

1. Store your leftover lassi it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. No need to add ice cubes if you plan to store.