Mango Lassi

Which mangoes work best?

Any variety with dense flesh and little fibre. Alphonso gives the most perfumed result and needs nothing added, Kesar is close behind and slightly more acidic, and Banganapalli or Safeda give a milder drink that usually wants a spoon of sugar. Fibrous varieties such as Totapuri are frustrating, since the strands survive blending and catch in the throat. If the only mangoes available are stringy, pass the puree through a sieve before the curd goes in.

Is tinned pulp acceptable?

It works and there is no shame in it out of season, but two things follow. Commercial pulp is almost always sweetened already, so adding any sugar on top produces something closer to a dessert than a drink. It also carries a faint cooked flavour from pasteurisation that fresh fruit does not have, and a squeeze of lime lifts it noticeably. Frozen mango cubes are the better compromise where they are available, since they are unsweetened and blend from frozen without needing ice.

What ratio of curd to mango?

Roughly equal by weight is the balance most people like, and it is worth thinking of it as a ratio rather than a recipe. More curd gives a tangier, thicker drink where the fruit reads as a background note. More mango gives something sweeter and looser that starts behaving like a smoothie. If the curd is very sour, lean towards more fruit; if the mango is very sweet, lean the other way. Neither direction is wrong, but drifting too far towards mango makes a drink that separates in the glass.

Does it need sugar at all?

A ripe Alphonso or Kesar does not, and adding sugar to one is a waste of a good mango. Blend the fruit on its own and taste it before anything else goes in, since that single step settles the question. If the fruit is underripe or the curd unusually sharp, a teaspoon of sugar or honey brings it back into line, but the instinct to sweeten before tasting is where most homemade mango lassi goes wrong. For a sense of what the fruit itself carries, the note on the calories in a mango is straightforward, and the dairy nutrition course covers what the curd half contributes.

Why does mine separate in the glass?

Because the acid in the fruit is pulling the curd proteins apart, and heat from over blending has already weakened them. The fix is short pulses at low speed with everything cold, and drinking it promptly. A lassi left standing for twenty minutes will show a watery layer at the bottom no matter how carefully it was made; a quick stir brings it back but the foam does not return. Very sour curd separates faster, which is another reason to start from fresh.

Can it be made without dairy?

Yes, with thick coconut yoghurt or a cultured soya yoghurt, and both make a good drink in their own right. Coconut versions are richer and the flavour competes with the mango, so use less cardamom. Soya versions stay closer in texture to curd but taste distinctly of bean. Plain coconut milk without cultures will give you something pleasant but it is a mango shake at that point, not a lassi, since the tang has gone.

What else can be added?

Very little needs to be, but a few things earn their place. Cardamom is standard, saffron is the festive addition, and a squeeze of lime rescues a flat or over sweet fruit. A tablespoon of ground almonds thickens it and adds a little protein and fat, which makes it hold better as a light breakfast. A spoon of shrikhand folded in instead of some of the curd makes a much richer version. What it does not want is ice cream, vanilla essence or milk powder, all of which flatten the fruit. Compare it against a plain sweet lassi and the point of the mango becomes clear.