A lassi is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink which originates in the Punjab region of India. Mango Lassi is made from yogurt, water and mango pulp. It may be made with or without additional sugar. It is widely available in many other parts of the world with an Indian population. Kenya has a large Indian population and that is how I familiarized myself with this delectable treat. Traditionally, this drink is served cold in a tall glass with a straw, often with ground pistachio nuts sprinkled on top.
Now that Summer is here and making no apologies about the heat it brings with it, I have been on a mission to make some home-made cold treats for the family. I remembered how delicious mango lassis were and that was my only drink of choice whenever my family would go out to eat at Indian restaurants in Kenya. So I thought I'd convert the lassi into a Popsicle. I tweaked the traditional recipe a bit to get a creamy consistency that would still hold it's shape while frozen. I used sweetened condensed milk in place of regular milk, I used thick, creamy, thick Greek yogurt in place of regular plain yogurt so that my inserted Popsicle sticks would stay put before I refrigerated the mixture. I skipped out on the sugar and used sweetened condensed milk instead for the added creaminess and the little bit of sweetness. The result? You be the judge. here's what you'll need to make these beauties...
SERVING SIZE: Makes 9 Popsicles.
EQUIPMENT:
-Popsicle moulds or 5 OZ. paper Dixie cups (I bought my Popsicle moulds at the dollar store).
-Regular blender or immersion blender.
-Large measuring or mixing bowl with a sprout (makes it easier to pour mixture into the moulds).
-Medium or large sieve (optional).
INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup plain Greek yogurt (its creamy and thick).
-The pulp of 2 ripe mangoes, cubed (though not too ripe or it will make stringy Popsicles).
-1/2 cup sweetened, condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk).
-1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder.
INSTRUCTIONS:
-Place all the ingredients in the cup of your blender and puree until smooth for about 5 minutes (stop half-way through this process and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any yogurt off the sides of the blender jug). Make sure everything is well combined and there are no lumps. the mixture will be thick, but creamy as shown in the video.
-Place your sieve over a bowl and pour the pureed mixture into the sieve. Use a spoon to assist the mixture through the sieve and into the bowl. This step helps get rid of the fibres of the mangoes. If these fibres don't bother you, you can skip this step.
-Pour the pureed mango mixture into your bowl or cup with a sprout and pour it into the cavities of the Popsicle moulds.
-Insert your Popsicle sticks in the center of each cavity of the mould. make sure they are all upright.
-Place the moulds into a container where they won't shift around as they set.
-Place the container with the moulds into the freezer and let it set for about 5hrs. I left mine in the freezer overnight.
-Once set, to unmold the Popsicles. place some hot water in a deep dish and insert the whole mold (with the Popsicles in them still), into the hot water for no longer than 10 minutes.
-Then gently lift the Popsicles out of the mould using the Popsicle stick as a handle. And there, you're done! Now how simple was that?!? Enjoy :)
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