Gajar ki Kanji | Carrot Kanji Recipe

Gajar ki Kanji or Carrot Kanji recipe with step by step photos.Kaali gajar ki kanji is a fermented drink made with purple/black carrots during the winters in North India. Kanji is a traditional drink of Punjab which is spicy,sour and pungent at the same time.Not everyone likes it for the first time, it is an acquired taste but I just loved the drink the very first time I tried.It is a very quick recipe to prepare but takes time to ferment roughly 3-5 days based on the climatic conditions at your place.The ingredients used in the recipe are fairly simple - mustard seeds, red chili powder,salt and water. Mustard seed powder when fermented adds a nice pungent taste to the drink.Kanji is a probiotic drink which is good for your gut flora and it is usually taken during winters in the North to keep the body warm.It can be served as an appetizer or along with your meals.

I got introduced to this drink by a punjabi neighbor of mine when we were staying in Mumbai. I loved the taste of the drink the moment I had, it was something different and unique for my taste buds and I instantly fell in love with it. Later when she described the process of preparing it my curiosity began more.She had prepared it with the regular carrots and beetroot as the purple carrots are not available in Mumbai. I somehow was never confident to prepare it as the fermentation process using the natural sun light was something which I was not confident about.But when I spotted these purple carrots in Singapore, I knew that I would prepare this Kanji for sure.

Surprisingly, though TH stayed in Delhi through out his education he never had this drink and hence it was new to him.I am glad that I tried it on my own, we just loved this drink and had good kanji time daily for a few days until the kanji lasted.The carrot batons fermented in the kanji was a great accompaniment along with our meals, it had the sour and slight fermented taste which was delicious.

I was planning to post this recipe for Holi but my travel plans had kept me busy and hence I could not post it.Anyways, better late than never I am posting my new favorite drink-Kanji recipe.I could not control taking photos of these lovely colored Kanji and hence posting so many pictures of it.

Check out Kaali Gajar ki Kanji Recipe with step by step photos here:

Kaali Gajar ki Kanji | Carrot Kanji Recipe:

shelf life: 3-4 weeks | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Fermentation time: 3-4 days | Total time: 3 days

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Beverages

Ingredients:

4-5 large Black/Purple Carrots( or 4 large Carrot and 1 medium Beetroot)

2 liters Water

1-1.5 tsp Red chili powder

2.5-3 tbsp Mustard powder

2 tsp Black salt

Salt,to taste

Method:

• Sterilize the glass/ceramic jars and let them dry and keep them ready.
• Dry grind the mustard seeds(roughly 2.5 tbsp) and keep the powder ready.

• Wash and wipe the purple carrots(or beetroots and regular carrots) and peel them and cut into 1 inch long thin batons as shown in the picture.

• Divide the cut carrots(and beetroot pieces if using regular carrots) into the jars according to the size of the jar used by you.

• Add red chili powder, mustard powder, black salt and required amount of regular salt to the jars and pour water to the rim and mix it nicely.Taste the liquid and add more salt or red chili powder if needed.

• Cover it with the lid or muslin cloth and keep it in a place where it gets nice sun light.
• You need to keep it in sun for 3-4 days by mixing the liquid daily using a clean and dry long wooden spoon/spatula.

• Once the drink starts tasting sour(it usually may start on 3 rd day) which indicates that the kanji is ready to be served.If it is not sour continue to keep for a day or more.The fermentation process differ from place to place based on the climatic conditions of the place.
• Refrigerate it and serve it either chilled or at room temperature.Strain the carrot pieces and the kanji can be stored until a month in the refrigerator.

You can strain the carrot pieces from the liquid and serve it as a salad or pickle with your regular meal, it tastes quite nice!

Notes:

1. I have used purple/black carrots in the recipe.One can easily make it with the regular carrots and beetroot added for the color.
2. You can even add turnip pieces in the drink.
3. Adjust the amount of red chili powder and black salt according to your taste buds.Some like it spicy and some like it sour,so add accordingly.
4. You can dip urad dal vadas in the kanji to make flavorful kanji vadas. The vadas absorb the flavors of kanji and turn sour and tastes absolutely delicious, which is a delicacy from the North and Rajasthan.
5. You can store it in refrigerator for upto a month.Strain the carrot pieces and serve it as a salad or pickle along with your meals.
6. You can jazz up the raithas and dips with the finely chopped fermented bits of these carrots, it takes them to the new level.Also you can use it as a pickled vegetable along with lettuce,pickled cucumbers in the wraps.

Technorati Tags: gajar ki kanji, gajar kanji, kaali gajar ki kanji, purple carrot kanji, carrot kani, carrot-beetroot kanji, delhi kanji recipe, punjabi kanji recipe, beverages recipes, indian traditional beverages, welcome drinks

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Watermelon Lemonade | Easy Drinks Recipes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Diwali. After all the festival recipes I wanted to post something simple and hence posting this simple watermelon lemonade recipe.
Watermelon is easily available through out the year these days and I like this fruit very much.I usually prefer to eat the fruit as such instead of juice but during summer I prefer to have a glass of chilled fresh juice.We can play with various ingredients and create different flavored juices and mocktail recipes.Lemonade is a simple variation to a juice where lemon is added for extra punch and the most popular fruit lemonades are the Classic Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Mango Lemonade, Watermelon lemonade, Peach Lemonade and also there are few variations using various herbs.

If you are interested check out other interesting beverages like 

• Watermelon Juice, Mango Juice  , Musk Melon Juice
• Mango Lemonade , Watermelon Cooler
• Bonda Juice(Tender Coconut Cooler)
• Butterfruit(Avocado) Milkshake, Chikoo(Sapota) Milkshake
• Strawberry-Banana Smoothie, Oats-Fruits Smoothie., Mango Banana Smoothie 
• Sweet Lassi | Punjab Meeta Lassi, Neer More/Spiced Buttermilk

For a complete range of beverages check here.

Watermelon Lemonade | Watermelon Ginger Lemonade Recipe:

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time : 5 mins | Total time: 15 mins

Category: Beverages/Drinks

Ingredients:

3 cups Watermelon,chopped and seeded

juice of 2 Lemons

1/2" Ginger,grated (optional)

2 - 2.5 cups Cold Water or Soda

Ice cubes, to serve

for sugar syrup:

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Water

Method:

to prepare sugar syrup:

• In a vessel boil water and sugar together until you get a slight sticky syrup and leave it aside to cool completely.You can prepare this ahead and refrigerate it and use it when required,it stays good for a month.

to prepare Lemonade:

• Blend watermelon pieces with grated ginger to a smooth juice consistency and strain it through a metal strainer.
• Add lemon juice and enough cooled sugar syrup(3-4 tbsp)to it and thin it down with water or soda.Taste the juice at this point and adjust it accordingly.The addition of soda adds up a nice spritzy version to it.

Serve it with ice cubes.You can even garnish with thin lemon or watermelon slices or mint leaves.

Notes:

1. You can prepare the sugar syrup ahead and keep it handy to prepare these kind of juices and mocktails during summers.
2. You can avoid ginger in the recipe but it adds a nice punch to the juice.But one can avoid if you want a simple lemonade.
3. You can even add kalanamak and chaat masala to it to make it more interesting.You can play around with the ingredients to suit your taste buds.

Technorati Tags: watermelon lemonade, watermelon ginger lemonade, fresh fruit juice recipes, watermelon juice recipes, cold beverages, easy mocktails recipes, fruit mocktails

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Sweet Lassi Recipe | Punjabi Lassi

Lassi is one of the most popular drink recipe in India and Punjabi Lassi is known for its rich,creamy taste.Lassi could be prepared either sweet or salted and I absolutely love both the versions. Mostly I prepare either Salted Lassi or Chaas but I do prepare Sweet Lassi once in a while to treat ourselves with the luscious thick creamy drink.This sweet lassi is even ideal to drink during Navratri fast to keep you fill for long time. If you are looking for more fasting recipes for Navratri, check out this post for more options. 

 

In Punjab,Sweet Lassi is prepared very thick and is topped with white butter or malai and is served in tall glasses.One glass of lassi is good enough to fill your tummy and can skip a meal easily. In summer season it is a treat definitely but one can prepare it any time round the year. You can prepare various fruit lassis like Mango Lassi and Strawberry Lassi during their respective seasons.

I used to flavour my Lassi with Roohafza during my child hood and love that flavor a lot, if you have not tried that flavour please do try, you will definitely love it. Traditionally Lassi is prepared with hand by using the wooden whisk but it is a bit time consuming process. If you want you can try that or just blend it in the mixer which is the most easiest way.

Punjabi Lassi | Sweet Lassi Recipe:

Serves 2

Prep time:5 mins | Cooking time:nil : Total time:5 mins

Cuisine: Punjabi - Indian | Category: Beverages

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh thick creamy Curd/Yogurt,chilled
1/2 cup Milk,chilled
1/4 cup chilled Water

2-3 tbsp Sugar
1 cardamom,crushed(only the seeds)

2-3 Ice cubes(optional)

1 tbsp Malai/fresh cream,to top(optional)

Method:

• In a juicer/mixer blend curd with milk, water, sugar and cardamom powder until it becomes frothy. Do not blend for long otherwise it will form butter on top. You can do this process in a traditional way of whisking it with the wooden whisk.
• Check the sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Also adjust the consistency by adding more curd/milk to suit your taste buds.

Serve it in a glass topped with cream and ice cubes. I did not add in mine. I just garnished with cardamom powder and few saffron strands.

Notes:

1. You can add kewra water or rose water for a nice and distinct flavour. 
2. I sometimes add 2-3 tbsp of Roohafza while blending and it is my favourite flavour for lassi.
3. To prepare Saffron lassi add few saffron strands to milk and let it sit for some time and then blend along with the remaining ingredients.
4. You can even add few thinly sliced almond pieces for a nice bite in lassi.
5. Seasonal fruits like Mangoes or Strawberries can be added during their season to prepare Mango Lassi and Strawberry Lassi respectively.

 

Technorati Tags: punjabi lassi recipe, sweet lassi recipe, meethi lassi recipe, creamy lassi, summer recipes, thirst quenchers, lassi varieties, kesar lassi, cardamom lassi recipe, summer drinks

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Musk Melon Juice Recipe | Cantaloupe Juice | Easy Juice Recipes

I prefer Milkshakes over fresh fruit juices as I like to eat the fruit in its whole form rather than having it as a juice. If we consume the fruit in its whole form, we don't need to add extra sugar nor do we lose any nutrients. There are many people who prefer having juices though and even DH falls under that category. So sometimes I prepare fresh fruit juices for him and that also gives me an opportunity to click the pics.

Muskmelon used to be a famous local fruit in the place where I spent most of my childhood. It used to be very sweet and we always carried them to our native place as my grand mom used to like this variety very much.While 90% of the fruits used to be consumed directly the rest which could be either softened fruit or less sweetened ones used to get converted in this juice form. There is no specific recipe as such but just wanted to highlight it for those who are looking for the recipe.

I must admit that I am very bad in clicking pics of beverages and I always find them challenging to click as the angles are a bit difficult to capture.I have hence been experimenting quite a bit with clicking juices for two reasons - to improve my photography skills and also that they can make their way to my blog. In this juice, I had tried to give the froth by pouring the juice in different glasses so that it can hold the muskmelon balls.On another note,recently I tried foodpanda.in online portal when I came back home after exhaustive shopping and was completely tired to cook anything.They had various range of restaurants and also categorized according to the area which helped me to choose the restaurant and cuisine easily and I was very happy with their services and I recommend you to try it if you have not done before.

Check out few quick beverages recipes here:

• Bonda Juice/Tender Coconut-Malai Juice
• Mango Juice  
• Mango Lemonade 
• Butterfruit(Avocado) Milkshake
• Oats-Fruits Smoothie
• Neer More/Spiced Buttermilk

Muskmelon Juice | Kharbuja JuiceRecipe:

Serves 2

Prep time: 5 mins | Blending time: 2 mins | Total time: 7-8 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Juices -Beverages

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped ripen Muskmelon

1 tsp Lemon Juice(optional)

1/2 cup chilled Water

2-3 tsp Sugar

Ice cubes, to serve(optional)

Method:

• Cut the musk melon into two halves and remove the seeds and cut the muskmelon into pieces by removing the external hard layer.
• In a blender add chopped muskmelon, chilled water and sugar and blend it to a thick pulpy juice. Taste the juice and add more sugar if needed.
• Add lemon juice and stir it nicely.
• You can strain the juice or serve it as it is.I suggest you to serve as it is to retain the nutrients of fruit.
• Pour it into 2 individual glasses.

Add ice cubes and serve it immediately.

Notes:

1. Adjust the sugar and consistency of juice according to your your wish.
2. I usually do not strain the fresh fruit juices to retain the fiber and nutrients of the fruits. If you want you can strain it in a metal sieve.
3. You can experiment it by combining mixed fruits combinations with various fruits like pomegranate, orange, sweet lime, watermelon etc.
4. If you like you can make it a thick milkshake by adding milk instead of water in the recipe.

Technorati Tags: muskmelon juice, cantaloupe juice, cantaloupe smoothie recipe, easy drinks recipes, fresh fruit juice recipes, summer drinks, summer coolers, how to make fresh fruit juice, kharjuba juice, tharbuja juice recipe

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Watermelon Juice | Easy Drinks Recipes

I usually prefer eating whole fruit rather then preparing juices and that's the reason I don't have many juice posts in my space. Moreover juices are simple to prepare so posting recipes of fresh juices may not be required but according to me, a juice can be prepared with several variations and hence am posting one such recipe today. Look out for the finer points in the notes section.

I usually prefer milkshakes to juices but a few fruit varieties are not suitable to prepare milkshakes and tastes best in the form of juice. Watermelon belongs to this category and as it has high water content one can eat it as it is or turn it into juice. I have been planning to post water melon juice from a long time as the colour of watermelon juice is captivating and appetizing!! But to my bad luck, the day I had planned to take pics, the weather was very gloomy and made me struggle to capture this gorgeous juice. I am not very happy with the clicks and did not meet any expectations from what I had actually thought in my mind, anyways would like to capture more juices in future to bring those bright colourful juice recipes in my blog.

If you are interested check out other interesting beverages like Mango Lemonade , Bonda Juice(Tender Coconut Cooler), Butterfruit(Avocado) Milkshake and Oats-Fruits Smoothie.
For a complete range of beverages check here.

Watermelon Juice Recipe:

Yields 2-3 glasses

Prep time:10 mins | Grinding time:2 mins | Total time:12 mins

Cuisine: Indian/International | Category: Beverages

 

Ingredients:

3 cups Watermelon, diced and seeded

2-3 tbsp Sugar, to taste

1/2- 3/4 cup chilled Water roughly

Ice cubes, to serve(optional)

 

Method:

• Cut the watermelon and remove the seeds. I do not prefer ice hence I avoid it and refrigerate watermelon pieces for some time.
• Blend the watermelon pieces with sugar and water to a smooth juice. Do not add water at one shot, add it in intervals  and also according to you required consistency. Now taste it and add more sugar if needed. Strain the juice.

Serve it by adding ice cubes.

 

 

Notes:

1. This is a very basic water melon juice recipe with out any flavours. If you like you can add 1-2 tsp lemon juice or 1 tsp chopped ginger while grinding it for extra punch.
2. You can even freeze watermelon cubes and blend it with sugar like a smoothie.
3. Various fruits like pomegranate, oranges, mosambi(sweet lime) and grapes can be combined with water melon.
4. Sugar can be replaced with honey in the recipe.
5. You can also prepare with out sugar by adding mint leaves, chaat masala, kala namak and roasted cumin powder for a more chatpata juice.

Technorati Tags: water melon juice recipe, easy drinks recipes, juice recipes, watermelon recipes, watermelon juice, summer drinks

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Mango Banana Smoothie | Easy Smoothie Recipes

I have posted mango recipes non stop from the last 2 weeks and I hope this would be the last recipe for this mango season unless I prepare something new.Hope you liked my mango recipes and did not get bored of them .Check out my complete list of Mango recipes here.
Smoothies are one of the easiest breakfast option but somehow I am not a person who can live on smoothie for breakfast.But it is a different story all together during the mango season.I do not mind having smoothies for breakfast everyday provided the smoothie has mango in it.Mango can be paired with various fruits like Mango-Banana,Mango-Strawberry,Mango-Papaya etc and my most favorite combination is Mango-Banana which works well for a Smoothie.

Smoothies are very versatile,you can add cornflakes or oats to the smoothie while blending and convert a simple smoothie to a wholesome breakfast.Some times I even add dry fruits like cashew nuts or almonds or figs or dates as it adds a nice nutty taste to the smoothie.

Check out few Smoothie recipes in my blog:

• Oats-Fruits Smoothie
• Mango Lassi- Mango Yogurt Smoothie
• Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
• Strawberry Lassi-Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie

Mango Banana Smoothie Recipe:

serves 2

Prep time:10 mins | Cook time: nil | Total time: 10 mins

Cuisine: International | Category: Beverages

Ingredients:

1 ripen Mango(Alphonso/Kesar or similar variety)

1 big ripen Banana

2 tbsp Sugar or honey *

1/4 cup cold Milk *

few Ice cubes,to blend and serve

Method:

• Remove the skin and cut the mango and banana into pieces.
• In a mixer/blender add mango and banana pieces,ice cubes,sugar(or honey) and milk and blend into a smooth puree.Check the sweetness and if needed add extra sugar.
• If you want you can add more milk to make it bit thin and also adjust the sugar accordingly.

Serve the chilled mango banana smoothie immediately.You can even top them with ice cubes during serving it. 

Notes:

1. Sugar or honey should be adjusted according to the sweetness of mango and to your desired sweetness.
2. Milk also is to be adjusted according to your desired thickness.
3. You can choose the mango varieties like alphonso,kesar,badam,raspuri which tastes best for this smoothie.
4. You can even add oats or corn flakes while blending the smoothie for a wholesome breakfast.
5. You can also add nuts like cashew nuts or almonds while blending for a rich and nutty smoothie.

Technorati Tags: how to prepare mango banana smoothie,mango smoothie,smoothie recipes,breakfast smoothie recipe,mango recipes,easy breakfast smoothie

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Mango Juice | Easy Summer Drinks Recipes

I had plans to post Mango recipes this year, but I could not do so because of my laziness.Somehow I managed to prepare a few mango recipes last week and I would post them in the coming weeks.So stay tuned for various Mango Special recipes in my blog and prepare them before the mangoes fade away from the markets.
Mango Juice is an easy recipe which I thoroughly enjoy during the mango season.Given a chance if I am asked to prepare a beverage with mango,I would prepare either Mango Milkshake or Mango Lassi as both of them are my absolute favorites.I usually stock the mango fruit pulp in my freezer all the time and if you have the mango pulp at hand you can prepare this juice in no time. 

Check out few ripen Mango recipes in my blog.For complete list of Mango recipes click here.

• Mango Fudge | Mango Burfi
• Mango Milkshake
• Mango Pound Cake
• Mango Ice-cream
• Mango Kulfi
• Mango-Tadgola(Thatinungu) Kheer 
• Shrikarini/Seekarane..a simple mango delight

Mango Juice Recipe:

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 ripen Alphonso Mango(any variety would do)

2-3 tbsp Sugar

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder(optional)

Ice cubes,to serve

Method:

• Wash and peel the skin of mangoes and cut into pieces.
• In a blender add chopped mangoes,sugar and cardamom powder and blend to a fine puree.
• Add chilled water(approx 1 cup) and blend again to a smooth consistency.Now check the sweetness and add more sugar or water if needed.You can make it thin or thick according to your preference,I prefer to make it slightly thick.

Serve it in a glass with ice cubes on top.

Notes:

• I like the flavor of cardamom in the drink,you can skip it if you want.
• Always add chilled water so that you can serve the drink immediately or you can refrigerate the jucie for few hours before serving.
• Use sweetened mango varieties like alphonso,kesar,badam etc and fibrous variety is not suitable for juice.If you use fibrous variety strain the juice before serving.
• I usually dip the mangoes in water for few hours.It is believed that this process reduces the heat impact of mangoes on our body.
• You can add juice of 1 small lemon and few mint leaves while blending to make mango lemonade.This would be a refreshing change to your usual drink.
• The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of mangoes,hence add it accordingly by tasting the juice in between while blending it.

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Strawberry Milkshake Recipe | Milkshake Recipes

 

Strawberries are in season and I just love those berries,in fact all berries.When ever I get a pack of them I finish it off eating them as they are before I even think of using them in any recipe.I had saved a box of strawberries this time to use them particularly in recipes and here goes my Strawberry milkshake recipe.

This recipe is no different from any other milk shake recipe and is a very basic one but this is a favorite among every one.One can make it rich by adding ice cream to it.I do not add ice cream to my milkshake on regular basis but I do add when I am in a good mood and not bother about the calories.

Strawberry Milkshake Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
8-10 Strawberries
2-3 tbsp Sugar *
2 cups cold Milk *
2 scoops of Vanilla ice cream or Strawberry Ice cream (optional)
few(2-3) Ice Cubes(optional)

Method:

• Wash the strawberries and remove the green leaves and chop them roughly into pieces.
• In a mixer/blender add strawberries,ice cubes,sugar and 1 cup of milk and blend into a smooth puree.Check the sweetness and if needed add extra sugar.
• Add remaining milk and vanilla/strawberry ice cream and run again to the desired consistency.Add more milk if you need a thin milkshake and also adjust the sugar accordingly.
• Strain the milkshake in a strainer to separate the seeds.

Serve the chilled strawberry milk shake immediately.

Notes:

1. Sugar should be adjusted according to the sweetness of strawberries and to your desired sweetness.
2. Milk also is to be adjusted according to your desired thickness.
3. Addition of ice cream is entirely optional,it adds a nice creamy touch to milkshake.
4. You can even add milk powder to thicken the milkshake.

Check out my other Strawberry recipes here.

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MANGO LASSI

Lassi is famous in Punjab but liked across most parts of the country . Although we like the taste of sweet lassi , the amount of sugar that goes into it stops us from having it that frequently . We usually prefer the flavored ones (like Strawberry Lassi and Mango Lassi) more than plain lassi and is a must order for us when we have north Indian fare outside . I don't mind preparing lassi especially in the strawberry and mango season, as the sweetness from the fruits reduces the amount of sugar that goes into lassi.This is a very simple recipe which can be made in a jiffy and can make any meal more interesting and delicious.You can pair it with a sandwich or Rajma chawal for a whole and hearty meal.

While most of us like thick and creamy lassi,TH prefers a thinner version of lassi and if it is a fruit lassi he likes the mild flavored one.I know it is a bit strange but every one has their own preferences right ??Initially, I used to make the lassi separately for both of us and now I have also started enjoying the kind of lassi he prefers hence I prepare it the same way for both of us.I reduce the quantity of mango in lassi. which gives it just a flavor and I also add little water to get the desired consistency and that is the reason my lassi has a moderate yellow color.There is no fixed measurements for the recipe,you can play around with the quantities of those ingredients and prepare lassi according to your requirements.

MANGO LASSI Recipe:
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 ripened Mango(Alphonsos or Kesar)
1 cup fresh and slightly sour Curd,chilled
1/2 cup Milk,chilled
1/4 cup chilled Water
3-4 tbsp Sugar
1 cardamom,crushed(only the seeds)
2 Ice cubes(optional)

Method:

• Remove the skin of mango and cut into pieces.
• In a juicer/mixer blend chopped mango with curd,milk,water,sugar and cardamom powder to a smooth mixture.
• Check the sweetness and add more sugar if needed as the amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of mango.Also adjust the consistency by adding more curd/milk to suit your taste buds.

Serve it in a glass topped with ice cubes.I did not add in mine.
Notes:

1. You can make plain lassi with the same procedure just avoiding mango.You can make a flavored kesar lassi by adding saffron strands while blending.
2. Mango can be replaced by strawberries for delicious strawberry lassi.
3. You can add 2-3 tbsp cream while blending mango lassi for a rich and creamier version.
4. Always use a slightly sour curd for lassi to get that exact taste,otherwise it would taste like milkshake.

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