One of my favourite memories of living in Brazil as a child is of the beautiful mangoes we would harvest from our backyard. I loved watching them ripen and swell from small, hard green fruits to juicy globes barely holding onto the branches. My brother would climb the tree and cut them down, the sticky sap clinging to his hands for days. Then they would sit in a basket on the kitchen table and we would watch them expectantly until they were ripe enough to eat. We would slice off the peel and eat the mango flesh straight off of the pit, letting the sweet juice run down our arms.
Now that I don’t have a supply of fresh, raw mangoes, I subdue my cravings with smoothies and mango lassi. A traditional drink found mostly in India and Pakistan, lassi come in many different forms, from salted lassi (a cold, yogurt-based drink with Indian spices) to sweet lassi (which is lightly scented with rosewater and other fruit juices). This recipe makes use of fragrant, freshly ground cardamom pods and flavourful lime zest to make a vibrant version of the popular, tangy drink.
Cardamom spiced, mango-lime lassi
Serves two. Prep time five minutes.
Note: Use a clean coffee grinder to pulverize the green cardamom pods. If using pre-ground cardamom, you may have to use more to get the same intensity as fresh ground.
Ingredients
½ cup yogurt
½ cup milk
1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
1 ¾ cup frozen mango
1 tsp lime zest
½ tsp freshly ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more milk if necessary.