RECIPE: Sweet Lassi (Yogurt Drink)

For the past two months I've been preparing meals for our farmers once a week.  (You can see a description of the meals I've prepared HERE.)  This sweet lassi was part of the Indian meal I served them last week. 

Lassi is  yogurt-based drink served at all of the Indian restaurants I've patronized.  The original recipe is from Yamuna Devi's incredible cookbook, The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking . 

When I first made this recipe (years ago) I used extra-fine refined white sugar (and it was delicious!) but I can't get ultra-fine organic or biodynamic sugar so I use a smaller amount of honey.

Sweet Lassi Yogurt Drink

Makes 4 cups

3 cups yogurt
1/3 - 2/3 cups sweetener (I use 1/3 cups honey)
1/2 cup water
1 cup ice cubes or frozen fruit like mango* (photo above is a mango lassi)
1/4 t. cardamom powder (optional)

Blitz everything in a blender until smooth and frothy.  If your blender can't handle ice you will need to crush it first.

Restaurants serve this over ice but I prefer it 'neat'.

*I have found that prepared frozen mango is not that tasty because it's made with Alfonso mangoes, which are large but bland.  I prefer to freeze champagne mangoes (the small almost flat ones occasionally available at Whole Foods) which have much more flavor.