Mango Lassi Homemade Popsicles
What could be more satisfying than a Mango Lassi? These Mango Lassi Homemade Popsicles are just right for beating the summer heat!
On a sweltering summer evening in Hyderabad, India I walked out of a school compound and into a rickshaw. With my limited knowledge of Hindi, I asked the driver to take a friend and I to a nearby restaurant.
As we swerved in and out of buses–passing bikers, stray cows, and street venders–I tried to savor the moment of nightlife in India.
The air was thick and sultry. The buildings on either side of the road were strung with colorful paper garland, tinsel, and lights. I could hear the frantic sound of high pitched crooning over furious drum beats, drowning out the sounds of laughter and arguing in the the distance. I breathed in rich spices in the steamy air, wafting from a nearby market.
This was a beautiful moment.
I don’t remember what I ordered for dinner that night, but I remember the ride. I also remember the warm buttered naan, and that the Mango Lassi was exceptional.
If you ask my children what my favorite fruit is, they will tell you with resounding force that “Mommy loves mangoes.”
The creamy-smooth texture and the buttery-tart flavor sends me into a euphoric state.
Therefore there could be no better treat in my mind, than one that involves sweet ripe mangoes and the flavors of India that I’ve grown to love.
A Mango Lassi is just that: mangoes, yogurt, sugar, and a touch of spice. Most mango lassi recipes include a little ginger, cardamom or clove.
These Mango Lassi Homemade Popsicles are the the essence of a mango lassi… on a stick!
When creating homemade popsicles, it’s essential to intensify the flavor, because the cold temperature desensitizes our taste buds. This mango lassi recipe is powerful. It’s extremely sweet, creamy and loaded with mangoes, so that the mango lassi flavor shines through when frozen. I covered the bottoms with chopped pistachios for a little salty contrast.
I’m quite pleased with my Mango Lassi Homemade Popsicles. If I close my eyes, they take me straight back to India.
More Flavors of India:
Butter Chicken ~ Closet Cooking
Chapatis ~ Savvy Vegetarian
Hyderabad Biryani ~ Collaborative Curry
Mango Lassi Homemade Popsicles
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup Greek yogurt very thick
- 11.3 ounces mango nectar concentrate
- 1 ripe mango peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Pour the all ingredients, minus the pistachios, into a blender. Cover and blend until mostly smooth. Pour into twelve 3-ounce popsicle molds, or small paper cups.
- Freeze for one hour. Then push a popsicle stick into the center of each pop, sprinkle with pistachios, and press gently.
- Place back in the freezer until solid. To loosen, place the mold up-side-down under warm running tap water.
LOVED
i grew up my first 25 yrs in India, more so with a mango grove on our farm. across the the country there are 100s of mango varieties. 1. Banginapalli, 2.iman pasand, 3.goa (only when ripe) are some of the cream of the crop when it come to taste. one and two are can be eaten even when mildly ripe. they taste best when eaten more ripe but not mushy ripe. Where as the 3rd variety is just heavenly when eaten just before mushy ripe (soft to touch but not yeilding toomuch to pressure, like deciding on an avacado that is ripe). I have never eaten a mango so good as it when ripe. The whole point is I am anticipating your mango Popsicles to taste as good as those mangoes I ate in India. Your recipe oozes with that flavor and quality. Homemade curd (yogurt) can be a good substitute to greek yogurt, most indians make curd at home.
Thanks for the recipe.