Recipe Test: Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt
A favorite childhood treat in frozen dessert form.
I can’t remember the first time I had a mango lassi, but it would have to have been at an Indian restaurant, most likely in Queens, NY, probably when I was five or six years old. During my childhood, my family would regularly travel to Jackson Heights to get Indian food. These glorious occasions were the only times I could get my hands on a mango lassi.1
While I don’t remember the exact date of my first exposure, what I do remember is that once I tried one, it became a staple of my order regardless of the restaurant. Whether it was at the dosa spot in Jackson Heights with the ever-changing name—it’s currently called Dosa Delight—or the now-closed Madras Woodlands on the east side of Manhattan near the UN building, I always, always, always ordered a mango lassi.2 And even though it’s generally considered a beverage and not a dessert, I would rank it up there as one of my all-time favorite sweet treats.
So this week I’m to take the mango lassi and turn it into frozen yogurt. Luckily, this recipe from Max Falkowitz has done most of the work for me (though I’ll be offering a few tweaks of my own that I’ll explain below).
I should note that the decision to move ahead with making this recipe has not been without controversy around my household. You see, my daughter is allergic to mangoes, and she is none too pleased to be excluded from this week’s frozen dessert effort. To compensate for her losses, I’ll also be making a lime sherbert (her pick) this week, especially for her, which I will detail in a separate post.
A few things to note about the ingredients. First, Falkowitz doesn’t include cardamom in his recipe, but it’s an essential ingredient in many mango lassi iterations, so I decided to include it.
Second, I substituted 40 grams of the sugar for two tablespoons (30ml) of corn syrup. Again, this is not part of Falkowitz’s recipe, but in a separate article for Serious Eats, he recommends using corn syrup to achieve a smoother texture in ice creams and sorbets.
Lastly: I did not use fresh mangoes because I didn’t plan far enough in advance to allow for ripening time. So I got some mango puree from Vik’s instead. Which is just as well, as I’m pretty sure that’s what most Indian restaurants use to make mango lassis.
The base mixture assembles quite easily. You combine the sugars, yogurt, and mango pulp, and then whisk until smooth.
Once you’ve done that, you have what is essentially a mango lassi base. Next, you add some lime zest, lime juice, and cardamom to boost the complexity of the flavor.
You could churn the mixture right away, but I tossed it in the fridge for about 10 hours to let the flavors marinate.
Here’s the churny-churn:
As evidenced by that second photo, I found those first few bites to be outstanding. But how did it taste after hardening overnight in the freezer?
It scooped up beautifully after only a few minutes of sitting out on the counter. I’m starting to think that using a bit of corn syrup along with the sugar is crucial if you want to achieve a nice, scoopable texture.
As far as taste, my son had this to say: “Wow, the cardamom really elevates it!” 😂
I think he’s certainly right about that. The combination of the cardamom with the lime make it reminiscent of an excellent, restaurant quality mango lassi, only better. And the fact that it’s in frozen dessert form make it all the better still. I’d be curious to try it with fresh mango as Falkowitz recommends. The canned mango pulp is excellent, but definitely has it’s own unique flavor profile.
Bottom line: if you like yourseslf a creamy mango lassi, I highly recommend making this recipe. It’s easy to make and absolutely delicious.
I have another post to write this week (about the lime sherbet), so I gotta wrap this up. But before I do, two final things.
I shared my thoughts about the fro-yo being better than a mango lassi drink you might get in a restaurant with my son, and then asked him if he agreed. His response? “I’m not not saying it’s better.” Whatever that means!
In the caption below is a 90s pop culture reference I got stuck in my head while making this recipe. If you know the movie, leave a response in the comments (I omitted some of the foul language that follows this line).
“That lassie got glassed!”
I don’t recall ever asking for one to be made at home, even though making them is ridiculously simple.
Come to think of it, I’ve never tried any other type of lassi. Not rose, not plain, not salty. Just mango.
Award winning Alfonzo sorbet superb in taste and just the right amount of flavor and texture also the mix of the cardamom and mango!🤤😋-Sr Kiralot