AsiaLIFE

Both a pick-me-up and cool-me-down, lassis are a healthy yoghurt-based drink great at any time of the day. Nora Lindstrom tells you where to go for your very own glass full of goodness.

Hailing from South Asia, lassis are by now a common drink almost the world over. From traditional mildly salted lassis to something approaching a regular smoothie, they have made their way into people’s hearts and stomachs.

In the Penh, most South Asian restaurants offer the conventional salty, plain and sweet lassis. At Dosa Corner, these cost US$1.50. For the latter, homemade yoghurt is blended with sugar, to make a slightly frothy, almost painfully sweet drink. The salty kind looks the same, but tastes like liquefied cottage cheese and is a great accompaniment to the restaurant’s signature dosas. The house speciality however is the buttermilk lassi, which is essentially the salty version with an added knob of butter.

Over at Pakistani and Middle Eastern restaurant Saffron, a lassi will set you back US$2. Served in a big glass, the light, sweet drink is cooling and staff are happy to add more or less sugar according to taste. In the savoury variety, the tangy tasty of homemade yoghurt comes through, making the drink perfect for calming down your palate after a mouthful of spicy curry.

Should you want to take your South Asian experience a step further, don’t miss out on Annam’s masala lassi (US$2). Served in a beautiful copper goblet and topped with chopped coriander, this mix of homemade yoghurt, masala spice mix, green chilli and salt, is definitely different. Hailing from Tamil Nadu in India, according to staff at the restaurant, the lassi tastes like a cold, watered down version of a masala curry. It’s undoubtedly an acquired taste, but apparently popular among the South Asian customers at Annam. If for nothing else but its novelty value, it’s certainly worth a try. Those with less of a sense for adventure might however prefer opting for the sweet mango lassi (US$2).

Cafés in the capital also serve up a variety of yoghurt-based drinks. At Café Fresco’s three outlets, fruity lassis are on offer for US$3. The signature Passionate Lassie is a blend of passion fruit, orange, and homemade yoghurt. Served with a maxi-sized straw, it’s refreshing and not too sweet, though it looses some of its thickness if you leave it to sit for too long. At Fresco you can also make your own tropical lassi, choosing from ingredients including apple, orange, watermelon, papaya, and banana.

For a real burst of sweetness in a glass, head to Friends the Restaurant. The NGO establishment serves mango and strawberry lassis (US$4), also available as a combination of the two. The colourful drinks come garnished with a bit of mint, and are beautifully thick in consistency. Perfect for kids in need of a pick me up, though adults may want to ask the staff to use sugar a bit more sparingly.

Mango lassi is also on the menu at expat hangout The Shop. For US$2.50, you get big glass full of lushly thick lassi that combines finely crushed ice with ripe mango and fresh yoghurt. Not too much sugar makes the drink fit an adult taste.

The most exciting, and distinctly grown up, lassi in the capital may be the Absolute Lassi (US$5) at upscale Indian restaurant Shiva Shakti. Though Swedish vodka probably is not a traditional ingredient of the drink, the blended mix of homemade yoghurt made from fresh milk, mandarin-orange juice and Absolute vodka is a fantastic little find. Served in a traditional copper goblet, it is cool and refreshing – in fact, it would most likely work a treat as a hangover cure with yoghurt lining the stomach, citrus fruit providing Vitamin C, and the vodka giving a kick. If alcohol isn’t your thing, Shiva Shakti also serves sweet and salty lassis (US$2.80+), as well as fruit and honey ones (US$3.80+).

Where to go:
Dosa Corner, 5 Street 51
Saffron, 17B Street 278
Annam, 1C Street 282
Café Fresco, 363 Sisowath Quay, Cnr. Street 51 and 306, 58 Street 53
Friends, 215 Street 13
The Shop, 39 Street 240
Shiva Shakti, 70 Sihanouk Bvd.