LumDimSum Discovery: Punjabi’s Mango Lassi

Punjabi is by far my favorite Indian restaurant in Beijing, (followed by Tamarind in Marriott Northeast, and then Mughal’s in Nali Patio). And while I highly recommend ordering everything both on and especially OFF their menu (Punjabi’s chefs are excellent and creating tailor-made dishes), one of my favorite things to order from Punjabi is their Mango Lassi.

Let me tell you about Punjabi’s Mango Lassi. It is sweet, smooth, rich in flavor…and best of all, it’s healthy! You finish feeling satisfied guilt-free!

An interesting fact you should know is Punjabi makes their own mango lassi from scratch.

I was so fascinated when I made this discovery, I requested to sit down with Punjabi’s owner, Gireesh Chowdhury, who was kind enough to share with my dear LumDimSum readers his special mango lassi recipe.

Ingredients:

• 220 ml Fresh, Daily Made Yogurt
• 3-4 table spoons of Alphonso Mango Pulp by Mother’s Recipe (imported from India) – no added preservatives
• 1/2 Mango Fruit
• 1 Drop of Concentrated Rose Water (Imported from India)

Directions:

1. The key to Punjabi’s lassi is their fresh yogurt made daily from scratch. Just to make their yogurt, it takes about 12 hours and since they use yogurt in a lot of their dishes and curries, they will make about 20 liters of yogurt every night. To make their yogurt, they mildly heat Mengniu milk and combine the lukewarm milk together with previously made yogurt, and place in an aluminum container and let it set over night.  “Consistency is key,” says Gireesh. “So make sure the yogurt sets in room temperature to ensure that the taste is not too sour and does not spoil.”
2. The following day, you can begin to make lassi drinks with the freshly made yogurt. Once you have the yogurt, their second key ingredient is adding 3-4 tablespoons of Indian Alphonso Mango Pulp – imported from India, this is the best brand to make Mango Lassi). I recommend only adding 3 tablespoons so the lassi is not too sweet.
3. Add a piece of fresh mango and put all the ingredients in a blender.
4. Last but not least, add drop of Concentrated Rose Water (imported from India). “This final step completely changes the taste of the lassi and no one else does it in Beijing.”

*LumDimSum Discovery Explanation: Whenever I find a dish (or in this case, a drink) worth sharing, I will post this find as a LumDimSum Discovery.  Stay tuned for more to come!