Forget beer and wine, I think nothing compliments an Indian meal better than lassi. It’s a cooling, yogurt-based drink with palate cleansing properties that balance out a spicy Indian meal perfectly. You really couldn’t get a more traditional drink. The roots of lassi are firmly embedded in Punjabi cuisine from Northern India and parts of Pakistan. Many Indian and Pakistani regions have adapted the refreshing beverage to suit their individual cooking styles and tastes. A quick guide to lassi As well as being popular in the Punjab, salted lassi (or chaas) is also the drink of choice to accompany the classic working mans lunch for the many farmers in Porbander (Gujarat). Chaas usually accompanies a lunch of buckwheat chapattis (rotla), rice and lentil stew (khichdi) and aubergine curry (oroh). Chaas differs to lassi slightly in its consistency, which is made slightly thinner with water. Like salted lassi, it can be blended with various herbs and spices to create a cocktail of mouth-watering flavours.
Basic Salted Lassi (serves 4) Ingredients 7 tbsp Greek yogurt 650ml iced water 1 tsp salt Method
Blend all of the ingredients together and pour into salt and sugar-rimmed glasses. Toasted Cumin Lassi Blend together: 1 x recipe for basic salted lassi 1 tsp toasted, ground cumin seeds 1/8 tsp black salt 1/8 tsp black pepper Tempered Lassi with Curry Leaves Temper 3 curry leaves, ½ tsp mustard seed and ¼ tsp asafoetida in 1 tsp oil until the mustard seeds pop. Pour over 1 x recipe for basic salted lassi. Chilli and Coriander Lassi Whisk together: 1 x recipe basic salted lassi 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves 1 hot green chilli, chopped finely
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