Maakhanya Lassi ~ Buttery Lassi

There are many dishes that one can associate with some special memories. Some can be associated with childhood - food prepared by mom. It can make you nostalgic and flood your mind with sweet anecdotes. Some dishes can be related to events - a special sweet dish or a cake that was meant for special occasion. And some are linked with a particular place - 'nukad ka chaat wala' (road side vendor) who makes the best Papdi Chat or a particular place known for their mouthwatering kulfi.

One such dish for me is this Maakhanya Lassi,  maakhanya literally means buttery.

I brings back to me the memories of visiting Jodhpur, Rajasthan. There is a snack shop (unfortunately I don't remember the name. I will update this if I remember) which is famous for this Lassi. All day long people throng to this place to enjoy a glass or two of this cold Lassi. In summer it sells like hot cakes! 2-3 years back when I had been to Jodhpur, my FIL had taken us to this shop. One sip of the Lassi and I was in heaven. One will be tempted to buy a second glass, but let me tell you, it is very filling. Two glass of this Lassi and you can forget about lunch!

When I had prepared this butter, this Lassi was the first thing I thought of making. I tried to replicate the taste from memory, so, I am not sure if it tastes exactly same, but it is definitely near.

You will need:

2 tbsp of fresh butter at room temperature. You can also use store bought unsalted butter
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup water or more
1cardamom, pounded
4-5 saffron strands
2 tbsp sugar, more of less, adjust to taste
4-5 ice cubes

Process:
1. Rub the saffron with a few drops of water to bring out the colour.
2. In a blender jar, add yogurt, water, saffron, cardamom, sugar, ice cubes and half of the butter.
3. Blend it for a few seconds. Pour it into a tall glass. Top it with the remaining butter and serve immediately!

Notes:

1. The butter which is added while blending will be in bits and will float on top. So, you will have a buttery, creamy top layer. You can add more butter to have a thicker creamy layer if you like.
2. Add more water if you like thinner Lassi.

It tastes best when served cold.

Enjoy! Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Blueberry Lassi | Blueberry Smoothie ~ To Beat The Heat

I find Irish weather very unpredictable. During this summer some days have been rain washed, some over cast and gloomy and a couple of times we are blessed with bright sunny weather. Such unpredictable weather poses more than one problem. For one thing one can't decide how to dress up. Each day is different, so simply cannot do away with the woolen clothes or shove the quilts and pull overs in the overhead drawers. You buy a big tub of ice cream and from then onwards, the weather gets cold and you feel like having Onion Bhajjis with a cup of masala chai.

Today is one of those few bright and sunny days and I was craving for a cold flavorful drink. On going through my fridge I found a bottle of 'Home Made Blueberry Syrup' which I usually use for making Blueberry Lemonade. But lemonade was not what I wanted to have and I whipped up this Lassi or Smoothie as it is called in this part of the world.

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1/4 cup water
3-4 tbsp Homemade Blueberry Syrup (follow link for recipe)
Ice cubes
6-7 fresh blueberries, optional

Process:
1. In a mixer jar add yogurt, water, ice cubes and blueberry syrup and give it a quick whiz.
2. Pour into a tall glass and top with fresh blueberries. Serve immediately.

Linking it to my event - Cool Summer Sips.
Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!