By Mid-December. Cody is on day three hundred and forty of his sentence. Two weeks to Christmas. The dinosaur cake for Jackson’s seventh-birthday party last Saturday went well — Jackson’s mom called me Monday morning to thank me and to say Jackson had wanted to keep the cake forever. Two more cake jobs have come in this week, both from word-of-mouth referrals: a unicorn cake for a five-year-old on December sixteenth, and a Frozen-themed cake (Elsa) for a four-year-old on December twenty-third. The two jobs together pay reimbursement and tips of $130. The savings envelope is going to break $400 by Christmas.
And the recipe Sunday was mango orange lassi. Mrs. Henderson came over Saturday afternoon with Eli, who is now seven and a half and visiting from Stillwater for the weekend. Eli sat at the kitchen table while I worked on the unicorn cake. He watched me pipe the mane out of pink buttercream. He asked, after watching for ten minutes, very seriously, Miss Kaylee, can you make me something orange. I said, orange like the color, or orange like the fruit. He said, both. I said, I will figure it out.
The lassi was the answer. I had the recipe in the notebook from a Cookie and Kate post. Lassi is a yogurt-based Indian drink, traditionally made with mango pulp, plain yogurt, milk or water, sugar or honey, and a pinch of cardamom. The orange version adds fresh orange juice and a little orange zest, which gives the drink the orange-on-orange profile Eli had asked for.
The math: a 16-oz tub of plain yogurt $1.99, a 15-oz can of mango pulp from the Walmart international aisle $2.49, two oranges $0.98, honey from the bottle, ground cardamom from the small jar I bought specifically $1.99 (which will live in the spice rack for a year). Total: about $7.45 for four glasses, with the cardamom investment.
The technique is the blender mix. You combine in a blender: one cup of plain yogurt, a half cup of mango pulp, the juice and zest of one orange, two tablespoons of honey, a pinch of ground cardamom, and a few ice cubes. Blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into glasses. Garnish with a thin slice of orange on the rim if you have it.
The drink is sweet, slightly tangy, slightly floral from the cardamom, bright from the orange. The color is a pale orange-yellow. Eli watched me make it. He took his first sip with very deliberate consideration. He paused. He looked up at me. He said, in his most-serious voice, Miss Kaylee, this is the best drink I have ever had. Mrs. Henderson, on the kitchen chair beside him, said, baby, that is high praise from this kid.
Mama had a glass after Eli and Mrs. Henderson left. She said, baby, what country is this from. I said, India, Mama. She said, your kitchen is taking us places I have never been. The basil from Italy. The carnitas from Mexico. The lassi from India. The kitchen in Broken Arrow has been a small ferry to other countries this year.
The recipe is below. The trick is the cardamom — just a pinch, but non-negotiable. Use canned mango pulp if fresh mangoes are out of season, which in Oklahoma in December they are.
Mango Orange Lassi
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks (or fresh, peeled and cubed)
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)
- 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
- Pinch of salt
- Orange slices or mango cubes for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine. Add the yogurt, mango chunks, orange juice, honey, cardamom, ice, and salt to a blender.
- Blend. Blend on high for 45–60 seconds until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust honey if you want it sweeter.
- Check consistency. If the lassi is too thick, add 2–3 tablespoons of cold water or extra orange juice and blend briefly. It should pour easily but still feel rich.
- Serve. Pour into two tall glasses over ice if desired. Garnish with an orange slice or a few mango cubes. Serve immediately alongside your favorite Indian-spiced dish.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 95mg