Mango Lassi

Ingredients

• 2 large ripe Alphonso mangoes (approx 400g fresh flesh) or 300g high-quality canned mango pulp
• 300g (1¼ cups) full-fat plain yogurt, cold
• 100ml (7 tbsp) whole cold milk
• 4 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground to a fine powder
• 8–10 saffron threads, briefly dry-toasted and crushed
• 1 tsp pure honey or sugar (optional — depends on mango sweetness)
• Crushed ice, to serve

Smart Substitutions

• ↔Use coconut yogurt instead of dairy yogurt for a vegan version with a complementary tropical flavour profile
• ↔Add ½ tsp turmeric and a crack of black pepper for a golden anti-inflammatory upgrade (the pepper dramatically increases curcumin absorption)

How to Cook

1. 1

   If using fresh mangoes, peel, cut away the flesh from the stone, and roughly chop. For canned mango pulp, measure directly. Dry-toast saffron threads in a small pan for 20 seconds over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darkened, then crush between your fingers over the blender jug.

   3 min

   Briefly dry-toasting the saffron threads before crushing them releases up to 3x more colour and aroma compounds than adding them raw. This takes 20 seconds and is worth every one of them.

2. 2

   Add mango, cold yogurt, cold milk, ground cardamom, crushed saffron, and honey/sugar (if using) to a blender. Blend on high for 60 seconds until completely smooth, thick, and creamy. Taste — adjust sweetness if needed. If too thick, add a splash more milk.

   2 min

   Cold yogurt and milk are important — blending warm dairy creates a thin, foamy drink rather than the thick, velvety consistency that defines a great lassi.