Amritsari Sweet Lassi Recipe

Toast and bruise cardamom

Lightly toast the green cardamom pods in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30–45 seconds until aromatic. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then crush the pods with the flat of a knife or a mortar and pestle. Reserve the seeds and discard shells.

Bloom saffron

If using saffron, put the saffron threads into the warm milk and let sit 5–10 minutes until color and aroma release. This step is optional but adds authentic aroma and color.

Combine base ingredients

In a blender, add the chilled yogurt (2 cups), cold whole milk (1 cup), coarse sugar (4 tbs), the pinch of salt, and the crushed cardamom seeds. If you want slightly sweeter, add the optional 1 tbsp fine sugar. Pour in the saffron-infused milk (including threads) and rose water (1 tsp).

Blend until frothy

Blend on high for 30–60 seconds until the mixture is very smooth and frothy. Taste and adjust sugar, rose water, or saffron to preference. If mixture is too thick, add up to 2–4 tbsp cold milk to reach desired consistency.

Chill or add ice

For a very cold lassi, either refrigerate 15 minutes or add 3–4 ice cubes to the blender and pulse once or twice to chill without overly diluting. If using ice cubes in glasses instead, fill glasses with ice and pour lassi over.

Pour the frothy lassi into 4 chilled glasses (about 1 cup per serving). Sprinkle the sliced pistachios and slivered almonds on top. Finish with a light dusting of crushed paan candy or fennel sugar (1 tsp) for the characteristic Amritsari sweet note. If you used saffron threads, place a few threads on top for color and aroma.

Serve immediately with a long spoon or straw. Lassi will keep refrigerated up to 12 hours, but expect some separation — stir or re-blend briefly before serving.