Roasted Mango or Banana Lassi

Recipe from Niven Patel

Adapted by The New York Times

Roasted Mango or Banana Lassi
Jessica Emily Marx for The New York Times
Total Time
40 to 50 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(186)
Comments
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Like other South Floridians, the chef Niven Patel of Ghee Indian Kitchen in Miami has access to fresh, locally grown, exceptionally flavorful varieties of bananas and mangoes he can ripen to perfection. Elsewhere in the country, that’s not the case: In fact, Mr. Patel said, most Indian restaurants use a canned ripe Indian mango purée to remedy that problem. But by roasting the mangoes or bananas first with sugar and warm spices, you can get good flavor from fruit of any quality or ripeness. Mr. Patel makes his own yogurt, which gives this lassi a complex tartness that balances the sweet spiced fruit, but a very good-quality regular plain yogurt (as in not strained or Greek) is a fine stand-in. The mango yields a slightly thicker lassi than the banana; if you'd like, add a little extra milk to thin it out, tasting as you go to make sure you don't dilute the flavor. —The New York Times

Featured in: For Niven Patel, Farm-to-Table Cooking Means Taro and Mangoes

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

    For the Roasted Fruit

    • 2ripe medium mangoes or bananas, peeled and cut into large chunks
    • ½cup brown sugar
    • ½vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
    • 1green cardamom pod, lightly crushed

    For the Lassi

    • 2cups plain whole milk yogurt
    • ½cup whole milk
    • ½cup ice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

265 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 48 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 77 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Put the fruit in a small ovenproof skillet or baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar, then add vanilla bean seeds and pod, and the cardamom pod, stirring so the fruit is coated with sugar.

  3. Step 3

    Roast the fruit until soft, stirring every 5 minutes, until most — but not all — of the liquid the fruit releases has evaporated and begins to bubble and thicken, about 25 to 30 minutes for the bananas and 40 minutes for the mangoes. (If you let them cook too long, the sugar mixture will stick to the pan.) Discard vanilla bean and cardamom, and let the fruit cool completely, then refrigerate until chilled. This step can be done several hours or the day before.

  4. Step 4

    Measure out ¾ cup of the chilled roasted fruit. (You may have a little left over, depending on the size of the fruit you started with.) In a blender, combine the roasted fruit with yogurt, milk and ice. Process just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the pitcher once or twice, and serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
186 user ratings
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Comments

LiveToFish

Do the same with over ripe peaches instead of throwing them out. Divine.

Judith

Try microwaving less than perfect mango chunks in a bowl. For my microwave (not the worlds most powerful) 3 1/2 minutes on high is good. Do not add any sugar prior to microwaving. The microwaving makes them sweeter, so taste after microwaving.

manav saraf

mixing milk and yogurt is an absolute sacrilege in indian cooking. i am not sure if it is the best approach.

DocWinsome

I made this on stovetop. I roasted two bananas with two tablespoons of brown sugar mixed with half a teaspoon of cardamom powder. Roast for 10 min on medium heat, constantly stirring with a spoon until nearly all the liquid evaporated. I allowed this mixture to cool and then refrigerated for eight hours. At the end of eight hours, I added half a teaspoon of vanilla essence, skipped the yogurt, and blended with two cups of milk to get the most divine tasting, silky smooth,creamy milkshake ever.

Anne Umphrey

I have a package of frozen mango chunks. Can I use them instead of fresh? I also have fresh ripe peaches I purchased last summer and froze. May I use them, and make the lassi using frozen instead of fresh?

Grace

Instead of adding milk and yogurt, I added a slightly thick vegan, almond-based kefir to the recipe. Half of my family is lactose intolerant, but this worked out very well for everyone- thick enough, but drinkable. I made mango for the adults in the house (who promptly added either a shot or two of tequila or vodka) and banana for the kids (who have no access to my booze cabinet). I could see gold tequila being appealing for a mango lassi, and maybe bourbon for the banana flavored.

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Credits

Adapted from Niven Patel

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