Honey & Avocado Lassi (India)
Continuing with the Fit Five India recipe series - a lassi is a yoghurt-based drink that has the texture of a creamy smoothie with a spice kick. Drink them as a dessert, with a savoury snack for a nice contrast or use as a post-workout refreshment (you can add protein powder!) The only issue with lassis is the SUGAR - we're talking up to 12 TABLESPOONS. This recipe cuts down on that!
Be forewarned, the process is key here and the product you get will depend on your patience. You can easily throw everything in the blender immediately, but you will be sacrificing on taste. I'm not a patient person but I found the patience for this one - you can too!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chilled coconut yoghurt
- 1 cup chilled water (pop in freezer for a few minutes)
- 1 small can of coconut cream
- 1 avocado
- 2 spoonfuls of maple syrup
- 6 cardamon pods (can use 1 to 2 tsp of cardamon powder if unavailable)
- 5 ice cubes
Steps
Halve & dice the avocado BEFORE scooping it out. This will allow you to get much more avocado meat and limit mess. See method below. Once scooped, set aside.
Next, prepare the cardamon pods if you're not using powder. Ideally you'd have a pestle & mortar but if you're not a regular chef, you can get resourceful; place pods in a bowl and use a bent spoon to smash them, take out the seeds. Use this method to crush the seeds. Set aside.
After the pods, add your maple syrup. Now it's time to blend. Start by adding adding your "warm" ingredients into the blender - this will include 3/4 of the coconut cream, avocado, honey and cardamon. Blend well. Then add chilled water and yoghurt to the mixture, blend again. Finally, drop ice cubes in, one at a time.
Pour mixture into a large glass (it should serve 1) and top with the remaining 1/4 cup of your coconut cream. Option to crush more cardamon and sprinkle on top as well. Sip with a straw and enjoy the hard work...
