SWEET SAFFRON AND MANGO LASSI

Hey folks! I can't believe we are having such a wonderfull weather. Oh my, yesterday we had 34 C degrees!, Im  in Andalusia's heaven. This is the time of the year where I feel SO grateful to be able to enjoy this "extension" of summer. Days are getting shorter little by little, and yes, it is cooler during the evenings but temperatures during the day are incredibly high, so Im having the best of the two worlds.

It's been a busy week as my little sis came to visit us, and we've been cooking and walking and doing sightseeing, etc. While thinking of my next recipe I suddenly came up with the idea of preparing a lassi. Mainly for two reasons. First one;  I've been day dreaming this last months about my beloved India, trying to organise a trip any time soon, yet not confirmed :( . And second, it was something completely new for my sister.

A lassi  is a traditional yogurt based drink from India. Basically is yogurt mixed with water and sometimes spices, fresh herbs, fruit or just plain with a little bit of salt. Over there they usually have it with their meals. Ayurveda says that a cup of lassi at the end of a meal also aids the digestive process. Try mixing a 1/4 cup yogurt with 2 pinches of ginger & cumin powder in 1 cup of water. I remember while in India, I used to drink lassis and fresh coconut water every day, so refreshing in hot weather.

This time I came up with a different one, using mango and saffron. This golden yellow spice comes from the stigma of a particular crocus. The best quality is grown in Spain and in Kashmir and must be picked by hand. It's unique flavour and colour is highly prized. Some of its many uses are as a blood cleanser, liver detoxifier, nerve tonic, blood thinner and as a heart tonic. It's aphrodisiac and can help increase the sperm count. It can also be used for cough, cold and congestion and haemorrhoids.

Sweet saffron and mango lassi

Serves 2 big glasses of 3 smaller ones

250g plain yogurt

250ml water

1/2 mango, diced

3 pinches of saffron powder

2 tbps honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamon

pinch of salt

4 ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bender. Pulse until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately.

Note: In this recipe I used the same amount of yogurt than water. If you like it thicker just reduce the amount of water.  You can substitute the mango for any other fruit, and if you like it sweeter just add more honey.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Lets hope this beautiful weather last another couple of weeks.
Cheers!

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