Lassis are refreshing beverages from India.
They come in many flavors, some sweet, some salty, but they are all made with yogurt. My favorite version is laced with fresh mango, fragrant orange blossom water, and a touch of salt. It was a no-brainer to create a scoop of frozen yogurt to capture everything wonderful about this drink.
The light touch of salt and the candy-like perfume of orange flower water elevate the simple mango frozen yogurt. Find it in Indian or South Asian grocery stores, or online. If you can’t find it, though, you can use orange zest or extract to taste. It’s by no means the same, but it’ll add a lovely aroma.
I’ve also included buttermilk in this frozen yogurt. The lassis sold in India are made with dairy products cultured differently from the yogurts we get here. I’ve never been to India, but I developed this recipe for the Indian-influenced Poppy restaurant, a concept born while the owner Jerry Traunfeld was in the vast country researching spices. It was his recommendation to add buttermilk, bringing this flavor in line with the lassis he sipped abroad. If you find yourself without it, you can replace it with milk.
Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups Full-fat Greek yogurt 400g
- ½ cup Mango Puree 100g
- ¼ cup Buttermilk 50g
- 1 teaspoon Orange flower water 5g
- ½ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt 3g
- 1 cup Cream 200g
- 1 cup Sugar 200g
- ¼ cup Glucose 50g
- Texture agent of your choice
Instructions
- Make the yogurt mixture. Whisk the yogurt, mango puree, buttermilk, orange flower water, and salt in a small bowl. Set in the refrigerator.
- Boil the cream. Place the cream, sugar 1, and glucose in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking occasionally to discourage scorching, until it comes to a full rolling boil 4. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from heat 3.
- Chill. Immediately pour the base into a shallow metal or glass bowl. Working quickly, fill a large bowl two-thirds of the way with very icy ice water. Nest the hot bowl into this ice bath, stirring occasionally until it cools down. It will be quite thick.
- Mix the base with the yogurt. When the base is cool to the touch (50°F or below), remove the bowl from the ice bath 2. Add the mango mixture to the base, whisking until evenly combined.
- Strain. Strain the base through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any particles that may be present. (This step is optional, but will help ensure the smoothest frozen yogurt possible.)
- Cure. Transfer the base to the refrigerator to cure for 4 hours, or preferably overnight. (This step is also optional, but the texture will be much improved with it.)
- Churn. Place the base into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The frozen yogurt is ready when it thickens into the texture of soft-serve ice cream and holds its shape, typically 20 to 30 minutes.
- Harden. To freeze your frozen yogurt in the American hard-pack style, immediately transfer it to a container with an airtight lid. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the yogurt to prevent ice crystals from forming, cover, and store it in your freezer until it hardens completely, between 4 and 12 hours. Or, feel free to enjoy your yogurt immediately; the texture will be similar to soft-serve.
Notes
- Best texture: Commercial stabilizer – 3g or 1 teaspoon. Mix with the sugar before it is added to the cream.
- Least icy: Guar or xanthan gum. 1g or ¼ teaspoon. Whirl in a blender with the frozen yogurt base after it is chilled in the ice bath.
- Easiest to use: Tapioca starch. 5g or 2 teaspoons / mixed with 20g or 2 tablespoons of cold milk or water. Whisk into the cream after it is finished cooking.
- Most accessible: Cornstarch. 10g or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon / mixed with 20g or 2 tablespoons of cold milk. Whisk into the simmering cream, then cook for 1 minute.
