Kulhad Lassi

Every one of us would have some quirky traits. I have my own set. Like how I hate buttermilk but love a tall glass of Lassi. Coming from Telugu family, no meal is complete in our household without the traditional curd rice at the end. My parents had their bit of trouble making me eat my curd rice day in and day out. Amma would specially make curd for me in a special cup – the one that would be just made, sweet. Even if the curd has a pinch of sourness, I would not dare touch it. So, in short I hate plain buttermilk or with rice but anytime of the day I can have a bowl of sweet curd or even better – lassi.

Recently, when we were at a team lunch in a Punjabi Dhaba I tasted Kulhad lassi and instantly fell in love with it. Some things are meant to be tasted the traditional way – for sure. Kulhad/Kulhar is nothing but an earthen pot. The lassi when served in this earthen pot, adds to the taste of it. In fact, lassi has to be one of the easiest drinks one can make – it hardly takes 5 minutes. Going by my taste buds, I recreated the recipe from that Punjabi Dhaba and it was a huge hit at home. This lassi has a tinge of rose flavor and has dry fruits like almonds and cashews garnished on top. It is thicker than the usual lassi and one has to scrape the sides of the Kulhad to get to the creamier parts – yummm! Every sip is blissful and cools down your body instantly.

To prepare Kulhad Lassi

Serves – 2

Time to prepare – 5 mins

What I used –

• Thick Curd/Plain Yogurt, 1 cup (preferably chilled)
• Sugar, 5 tsp
• Cashews, 3-4
• Almonds, 3-4
• Rose Syrup, 1 tsp

How I made –

1. In a pot, take the thick curd/yogurt and add sugar to it. Beat well until the sugar dissolves.
2. Add the rose syrup and beat again for 2-3 mins until the lassi is frothy.
3. Meanwhile, finely chop cashews and almonds.
4. Serve the lassi in Kulhads/earthen pots.
5. Sprinkle the chopped cashews and almonds generously on top.
6. Serve chilled.

Note –

• Instead of hand-beating the lassi, one can add the thick curd, sugar and rose syrup in a blender jar and blend for 1-2mins. With this method, I found that the lassi turned a bit watery than expected.
• The curd can be left to stay in the refrigerator until lassi preparation, so that it is cold. Alternatively, after preparing the lassi – it can be chilled before serving.
• Rose syrup is optional, but high recommended as it adds to the taste. I used home made rose syrup from my rose milk recipe.
• Serving this lassi in Kulhad/traditional earthen pot adds to the taste and authenticity.
• Quantity of the sugar can be adjusted as per personal preferences.