Mango and watermelon are two fruits loved by all and always beats the summer heat.
As I was growing up, I saw a lot of mangoes and watermelon growing in most of our backyards at home and all we did is milkshakes, Lassi, jams and Falooda.
As it’s so hot in Asia, you will find these drinks on every nook and corner where you see people having it to beat the heat.
So, I said to myself, why not share these Simple recipes which can be easily done at home?
Today, I am sharing with you my childhood memories with two summer drink recipes filled with plenty of refreshing mangoes and watermelons to go around.
Mango Lassi
So, what Is Lassi?
Lassi refers to any yogurt-based drink. The popular ones are sweet Lassi, sweetened with sugar, and salty lassi, which has salt and other spices in it.
It can be done with Almond milk, lactose-free milk and soy milk, depending on your preference.
Mango Lassi is another popular version which has mangoes blended with yogurt.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of mango pulp 250 ml, (use fresh mangoes, if possible)
- You can used canned mango pulp, too
- 1 cup of plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup of milk (cold) or cold water, to thin out the Lassi
- 1-2 tablespoons of sugar or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of chat masala (optional)
Directions
To a large bowl, add 1 cup fresh mango pulp. To the same bowl add yogurt.
Add cold milk, the sugar and cardamom powder, then blend everything until well combined.
Pour the mango Lassi into serving glasses, then you may garnish as you please (mango slices, mint, pistachio, etc.)
Watermelon Sharbat
Made with watermelon, one of my favourite summer fruits, it is mixed with chilled milk and rose syrup.
In spite of the big line to have this drink in Mumbai, we were somehow able to get our hands on the drink and it was worth the wait.
This watermelon- and milk-based drink gave us an instant refreshing relief and I was amazed to see this way of using watermelon in a drink.
It's just perfect and refreshing to beat the heat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of milk
- 3 tablespoons of rose syrup
- Basil seeds soaked in water
- Watermelon cut into pieces
- Ice cream (optional)
- Sugar, if required (I don’t use it)
Directions
First, blend the milk, rose syrup and ice cream in a blender.
Then, in a glass, add some soaked basil seeds and watermelon pieces.
Pour in the blended mixture and serve it chilled with more watermelon and fresh basil leaves.
Ashney Rebello of Coquitlam is a homemaker, recipe developer and freelance writer for food magazines. She's currently writing her own cookbook — Ashney's Kitchen Stories.
