If you like ayran (preceding recipe), the slightly savory yogurt drink of Turkey, you might try this, the even more unusual yogurt beverage of India. Like many beverages, it comes with a variety of health claims, but regardless of those, it’s refreshing and—obviously—protein packed. I have had this with a clove of garlic included and with so much black pepper—probably around 2 teaspoons for this quantity—that I was stunned. This version is relatively tame.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
2 cups yogurt, preferably whole-milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
Pinch of cayenne
1 cup ice cubes
Preparation
Step 1
Combine all the ingredients in a blender with 1 cup cold water. Blend until smooth and serve.
Mint Lassi
Step 2
Add about 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves and a small piece—maybe 1/2 inch or so, peeled—of fresh ginger.
The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.
MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
