Posted in: Asia, Inspiration, Photos, Travel | No Comments | Posted on February 15, 2012 by kari

Late evening, after 10 o’clock , when the lassi-shop is finally closed, the always-busy day is continuing into a busy night for this beautiful, loving and humble Varanasi family of the Blue Lasssi.  It is time for making fresh curd for the next day, in their little kitchen in the back of the small shop; normally busy till 2 o’clock after midnight, around sleeping members of the big family laying all over in this tiny shop which is part of their home as well.

How to make the curd:
Each bowl of curd is made by cooking 2 liter milk for half an hour on low fire, then add a little regular yoghurt while warm and place in the fridge for a few hours to make the thick curd ready.

And then, the next day….. the first customers eagerly waiting at 8 o’clock for a taste of heaven. Everybody wants lassi at The Blue Lassi. Well, this is not lassi as you know it, it is a whole delicious meal! Thick, smooth, fruity perfectly sweetened yoghurt served in a big, handmade, red clay-pot (which is the Indian version of disposables).  Eat with a wooden spoon, and throw it away! (Even tea on the street is often served this way, drink your tea and break  the clay pot in the garbage or straight in the street)

It is full of any  fresh fruit you want, with any possible combination you desire, Banana lassi with coffee, with pineapple, mango, mix lassi, sweet lassi, sour lassi and bang lassi for the ones that can handle it and wish to fly high for several hours above the noise and the chaotic old city & ghats of Varanasi.
The menu is large but feel free to make your own combinations, like a banana-Apple-Coconut-Chocolate-lassi, Or maybe a Grape-Ananas-Pommegranat-lassi, we kept ordering new versions day after day for all three weeks of hour stay in Varansi Wow what a delight!

Each portion is made by hand with love and care; one at a time, by putting ingredients into a tall pot and rolling a thick wooden stick very intense for several minutes until the base it becoming blended enough, smooth and thick in the same time.

How to make the lassi:
If you want banana lassi, a cut banana is added together with one glass of curd and a spoon of sugar, and then mixed well; and if you want some other fruit  or ingredients with it, you add it after some minutes mixing and then mix some minutes more till thick and smooth.

If you make fruit-lassi not from banana, you mix first only one cup of curd with one spoon sugar and mix well, and then add the fruit followed by some more mixing.

Before serving decorate with banana, fruit, some chopped pistachio-nuts or whatever you like.
Just fantastic and feels like more.

We will surely remember the Blue Lassi as one of the great experiences from our stay in Varanasi.  We arrived first to taste the Lassi we heard is special from a fellow traveler, and kept coming because of the wonderful family proudly making it for several generations, passing the knowledge and tradition started by the grand grand father, many years ago, to the new generations that will follow exactly the tradition of how to make lassi; and although they surely make enough money to be able to expand and change the place, the original 2 by 4 meter tiny shop is still in the same place.

 

 

For our entire stay in Varanasi the Blue Lassi became our home, daily visits, sometimes twice including being invited to delicious dinners with the entire family, made over fire.

If you ever come to Varanasi, be sure to not miss it. ENJOY