Salty Lassi
Ingredients
3 cups plain yoghurt
1 cup cold water
1 fresh green chilli, seeded and very finely chopped
½ tsp ground cumin seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro (coriander) or mint leaves to decorate
Crushed ice to serve

Method
Pour the yoghurt and water into a blender and blend for one minute. Add in chilli, cumin, salt and pepper and blend together. Serve over crushed ice.

Garnish with a sprinkle of cumin powder and finely chopped coriander or mint.

Plain Sweet Lassi
Ingredients
1 green cardamom pod
100 ml natural unsweetened yoghurt
1½ tsp caster sugar
1 tsp rose water
200 ml cold water
4 mint leaves

Method
Use the back of a spoon to gently crush a green cardamom pod, until it splits. Remove the seeds with your fingers, and put the seeds into a mixing bowl or jug, along with the yoghurt, sugar, rose water and water. Use a blender to blend the mixture into a smooth paste. Pour into glasses. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Here are some other flavours of lassi:

Mint Lassi
Ingredients
5 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
2 cups plain yoghurt
1½ tsp rock salt (kala namak)
½ tsp roasted, ground cumin seeds
½ tsp salt or to taste
1 cup of chilled water
4-6 ice cubes

Method
Put yoghurt, mint, cumin seeds, rock salt in a blender. Blend for a few seconds.
Add chilled water and ice cubes. Blend till frothy. Serve sprinkled with a pinch of ground roasted cumin powder and finely chopped mint.

Banana Lassi
Ingredients:
150 gm ice cube, crushed well
150 ml ice water
150 gm natural yoghurt
2 very ripened banana, peeled and roughly chopped
1-2 tsp honey (optional)
1 pod crushed cardamom

Method
Blend all of the above ingredients together in a blender. Served chilled and garnish with slices of banana.

Strawberry Lassi
Ingredients
3½ cup fresh strawberry, trimmed and halved
1/2 cup sugar
¼ tsp ground cardamom, rounded
1 pinch salt
2 cups plain yoghurt (whole milk or low-fat)
1 cup ice cubes

Method
Blend strawberries with sugar, cardamom and a pinch of salt until smooth. Add yoghurt and ice, then mash until smooth again.

Nowadays, summer is at its peak and the juicy, pulpy mangoes have empowered the whole market scene. Be it Chaunsa, Langara, Sindheri! This is the best time of the year to make mango lassi. Mango lassi is very easy to make. It’s best made with fresh mangoes but can also be substituted by canned mangoes or even mango juice.

Mango Lassi
Ingredients
1 cup plain yoghurt
½ cup mango pulp or pieces of mango
1 cup crushed ice
3 tbsp sugar / use sugar substitute if desired

Method
Blend all of the above ingredients. Add a little water if the consistency is too thick. Keep refrigerated. Serve chilled. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Lassi is a versatile drink which allows you to experiment with different flavours. Only the yoghurt, sugar, water and ice are the basic ingredients that remain the same. Don’t be afraid to make your own lassi using a combination of fruits or things you love. Use lemon zest for lemon lassi, try an apple-mango lassi, add some chopped nuts in your lassi, use a vanilla pod or extract to make vanilla lassi then you can add a swirl of chocolate in it, add a hint of nutmeg to it...use less water, freeze it and you have a frozen dessert — lassi ice cream! The variations are endless so have fun and customise you lassi!

Some interesting lassi facts:

* Lassi is called MAHI in Nepal.

* Lassi may be prepared either from whole or skimmed yoghurt. When yoghurt, made from whole milk, is churned by traditional methods, the butter yield is much below the theoretical level. As a matter of fact, the fat globules are scattered in the liquid phase and the losses of fat in buttermilk are more important than when butter is made from cream. However, lassi prepared from soured skimmed milk has a weaker taste and flavour than that prepared from the buttermilk obtained from yoghurt made from whole milk.

* Lassi is also of great importance in diet. It contains fat, protein, lactose, ash, calcium, phosphorus. So it has a great nutritional value.

* Regular consumption of lassi reduces the chances of your hair going white before time.