Recipe from Niven Patel
Adapted by The New York Times
- Total Time
- 40 to 50 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(160)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Like other South Floridians, the chef Niven Patel of Ghee Indian Kitchen in Miami has access to fresh, locally grown, exceptionally flavorful varieties of bananas and mangoes he can ripen to perfection. Elsewhere in the country, that’s not the case: In fact, Mr. Patel said, most Indian restaurants use a canned ripe Indian mango purée to remedy that problem. But by roasting the mangoes or bananas first with sugar and warm spices, you can get good flavor from fruit of any quality or ripeness. Mr. Patel makes his own yogurt, which gives this lassi a complex tartness that balances the sweet spiced fruit, but a very good-quality regular plain yogurt (as in not strained or Greek) is a fine stand-in. The mango yields a slightly thicker lassi than the banana; if you'd like, add a little extra milk to thin it out, tasting as you go to make sure you don't dilute the flavor. —The New York Times
Featured in: For Niven Patel, Farm-to-Table Cooking Means Taro and Mangoes
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Ingredients
Yield:2 to 4 servings
- 2ripe medium mangoes or bananas, peeled and cut into large chunks
- ½cup brown sugar
- ½vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
- 1green cardamom pod, lightly crushed
- 2cups plain whole milk yogurt
- ½cup whole milk
- ½cup ice
For the Roasted Fruit
For the Lassi
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
265 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 48 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 77 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Step
2
Put the fruit in a small ovenproof skillet or baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar, then add vanilla bean seeds and pod, and the cardamom pod, stirring so the fruit is coated with sugar.
Step
3
Roast the fruit until soft, stirring every 5 minutes, until most — but not all — of the liquid the fruit releases has evaporated and begins to bubble and thicken, about 25 to 30 minutes for the bananas and 40 minutes for the mangoes. (If you let them cook too long, the sugar mixture will stick to the pan.) Discard vanilla bean and cardamom, and let the fruit cool completely, then refrigerate until chilled. This step can be done several hours or the day before.
Step
4
Measure out ¾ cup of the chilled roasted fruit. (You may have a little left over, depending on the size of the fruit you started with.) In a blender, combine the roasted fruit with yogurt, milk and ice. Process just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the pitcher once or twice, and serve immediately.
Ratings
4
out of 5
160
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Cooking Notes
LiveToFish
Do the same with over ripe peaches instead of throwing them out. Divine.
Judith
Try microwaving less than perfect mango chunks in a bowl. For my microwave (not the worlds most powerful) 3 1/2 minutes on high is good. Do not add any sugar prior to microwaving. The microwaving makes them sweeter, so taste after microwaving.
manav saraf
mixing milk and yogurt is an absolute sacrilege in indian cooking. i am not sure if it is the best approach.
AL
Cardamom pod is key for the nice pervasive cardamom oil. Very nice drink
Lois
I tried the banana variant - sublime!
jayne
Much better without dairy milk. I used nut milk (almond) and the consistency was less gummy as a result. If you prefer to still use milk, add more ice cubes than recipe calls for so consistency is less gummy.
Honey Versus Sugar
Try honey versus sugar.
manav saraf
mixing milk and yogurt is an absolute sacrilege in indian cooking. i am not sure if it is the best approach.
Mark
I made this with bananas. I didnt quite use up all the brown sugar as it seemed like a lot. I used about 3/4 what it asked. changed nothing else. It was great!
inglefinger
Used 2 bananas & a small peach. Substituted pumpkin pie spice for cardamom & only used a tsp of brown sugar. Turned out thick & delicious.
Brad
Can you used reduced fat milk and yogurt?
Judith
Try microwaving less than perfect mango chunks in a bowl. For my microwave (not the worlds most powerful) 3 1/2 minutes on high is good. Do not add any sugar prior to microwaving. The microwaving makes them sweeter, so taste after microwaving.
LiveToFish
Do the same with over ripe peaches instead of throwing them out. Divine.
Daniel Pincus
How many servings is this for?
Jessica
It says 2-4 servings. I haven't made it ye, but it sounds wonderful!
Lauren Kerr
It's so incredibly rich that we got 6 or seven servings out of it, about half a cup each.
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