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Sweet Punjabi Lassi
Thick yogurt churned with milk, sugar and cardamom until a frothy cap forms — the lassi of Lahore's old-city breakfasts, equally at home at suhoor. Add a spoon of malai on top if you want the full dhaba treatment.
Drinks · Pakistan · Ready in 5 minutes · Serves 2
Sweet Punjabi Lassi comes from Pakistan and belongs on the drinks table. The quantities below are written for 2 servings and scale cleanly: double them for a family iftar or halve them for a quiet suhoor for two, keeping the proportions — and especially the seasoning — in the same balance. It is tagged quick, no-cook, suhoor-friendly.
Hydration is the quiet work of Ramadan evenings, and a proper Ramadan drink does more than quench thirst: it restores, refreshes and gives the table something festive between Maghrib and taraweeh. Serve it cold, in generous glasses, and keep a jug ready for refills.
Timing matters in a Ramadan kitchen, and this recipe asks for 5 minutes from start to finish. That makes it a genuine last-minute option: you can begin after the Maghrib adhan is close, or at suhoor when every extra minute of sleep counts, and still sit down on time. For a gathering, multiply every quantity by the number of guests divided by 2, round spices down very slightly on large batches, and taste before serving — big pots season differently from small ones.
Make the drink ahead and chill it thoroughly — a Ramadan drink served merely cool is a disappointment on a fasting table. Stir before pouring, taste for sweetness after chilling (cold dulls sweetness slightly), and set out extra glasses: drinks disappear faster than any dish at iftar. Anything remaining keeps a day in the fridge, covered.
Ingredients
- 400 g yogurt
- 100 ml milk
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 0.25 tsp cardamom powder
- 4 piece ice cubes
- 1 tbsp crushed pistachios
Method
- Add the yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom to a blender (or a jug for a hand whisk).
- Blend for 30–45 seconds until smooth with a light foam on top.
- Taste and adjust: more sugar if your yogurt is very tart, a splash more milk if it pours too thick — lassi should coat the glass, not sit in it.
- Add the ice and blend 10 seconds more, keeping some body in the drink.
- Pour into tall glasses, spoon the foam over the top and finish with crushed pistachios.
Tips
- Full-fat yogurt is not a luxury here — low-fat lassi turns thin and sour.
- For mango lassi in season, blend in 150 g of ripe mango pulp and halve the sugar.