Spicy Savory Tamarind Lassi

Monday, I posted sweet avocado lassi and today it’s time for salt and savory lassi. I love both salt and sweet lassi. I always prefer salt lassi especially with parathas. Here is one such tangy and spicy lassi flavored with chaat masalas – Spicy Tamarind Lassi. This is a savory/salt lassi prepared with yogurt and spiced up with chaat masalas along with tamarind and paprika.

Yesterday, I was mentioning about the food stalls and about the avocado lassi story. The same food vendor was selling this spicy lassi too. But before we could grab a bottle, it was sold out. Both avocado lassi and this one were quite popular. The name was so intriguing and even though I didn’t try, I wanted to replicate the recipe at home.

I know that it’s a savory and tangy and spicy lassi. So tried couple of variations and developed my own recipe and here is the one that we all enjoyed and relished.  I love Jal Jeera masala and it adds the kick and chaat flavor to any recipes, be it my Tandoori paneer or Sprite and Jal Jeera Refresher. :-)  For this recipe I included Jal Jeera Masala, Chaat Masala and Black Salt along with paprika and tamarind paste. :-)

Tamarind Paste / Extract:

I went with store bought tamarind paste. (Tamarind paste comes in handy during busy mornings or when time is pressing.) But if you don’t have tamarind paste all you need for this recipe is about 3 to 4 tbsps. of thick tamarind water. So here is what you can do,

• Soak a small gooseberry sized tamarind in 1 cup of water of at least 20 minutes and extract the juice. The remaining juice can be used for sambar or rasam.
• If you soak them in hot water, 10 to 15 minutes of soaking time is more than enough.

Dried Mint Leaves:

For this recipe, I used dried mint leaves and I still have the store bought one in stock so went with that. I always have dried mint leaves at home. I add mint leaves in my tea and this dried leaves comes in handy. (Read what all I add in my tea here). Also when I prepare biryani or pulao and if I am not having fresh ones, I opt for these dried ones. Summer is here and it’s perfect time to prepare dried mint leaves. Just wash them and sun dry them until they are crisp and completely dried up. Store them in air tight container.

If you are using tamarind paste, there isn’t any major prep work. Here is a great lassi that can be whipped easily and it’s perfect drink for breakfast or brunch irrespective of the weather.

Ingredients:

• Thick Yogurt – 1.5 cups (I used greek yogurt)
• Water – 1/2 cup (If you are using tamarind extract instead of paste, use 1/4 cup of water)
• Tamarind Paste – 2 tsps
• Black Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Regular salt – 1/4 tsp
• Chaat Masala – 1/2 tsp
• Jal Jeera Masala – 1/2 tsp
• Paprika – 1/2 tsp (add during blending) + 1/4 tsp (for adding before serving)
• Crushed Dried Mint leaves – 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp (optional, see above)

Steps:

•  Add all the ingredients in a blender including 1/4 tsp of dried mint leaves and blend until smooth and frothy.

• That’s it. Tamarind lassi is ready. :-)

Serve chilled with a dash of paprika and crushed mint leaves.

Notes:

• We really liked this combination and proportion of masala and tamarind paste. But adjust the ingredients according to your preference.
• Instead of paprika, regular chilly powder can be used too.
• As I mentioned above, if you are using tamarind extract instead of paste, use 1/4 cup of water.
• Dried mint is completely optional but of course it adds flavor to the lassi.

Spicy Savory Tamarind Lassi

Spicy Tamarind Lassi. This is a savory/salt lassi prepared with yogurt and spiced up with chaat masalas along with tamarind and paprika.

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Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: Indian

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

• Thick Yogurt - 1.5 cups I used greek yogurt
• Water - 1/2 cup If you are using tamarind extract instead of paste, use 1/4 cup of water
• Tamarind Paste - 2 tsps
• Black Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Regular salt - 1/4 tsp
• Chaat Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Jal Jeera Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Paprika - 1/2 tsp add during blending + 1/4 tsp (for adding before serving)
• Crushed Dried Mint leaves - 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp optional, see above

Instructions

• Add all the ingredients in a blender including 1/4 tsp of dried mint leaves and blend until smooth and frothy.
• That’s it. Tamarind lassi is ready. :-)
• Serve chilled with a dash of paprika and crushed mint leaves.

Notes

We really liked this combination and proportion of masala and tamarind paste. But adjust the ingredients according to your preference.
Instead of paprika, regular chilly powder can be used too.
As I mentioned above, if you are using tamarind extract instead of paste, use 1/4 cup of water.
Dried mint is completely optional but of course it adds flavor to the lassi.

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