Hot summer and the humid monsoon season depletes our body of water as well as vitamins and minerals.
To recharge ourselves, we take refuge in various drinks to chill ourselves and to replenish the lost nutrients. While aerated drinks still seem to be the most popular in this category, the benefits from these are questionable.
Lassi stands out as a favourite during the summer months, a creamy drink made from repeatedly churning curd and adding water and sugar to it.
The benefits of lassi apart from just hydrating your body stem from the fact that being rich in probiotics it is good for the digestive system. The calcium improves bone strength, while Vitamin D increases body immunity. Various other ingredients are used to add flavour and taste to the drink, be it rabdi malai, kesar pista or even flower or fruit extracts.
If you visit any city you will find that there are quite a few sought-after lassi centres there with their own variation of the recipe. Pehlwan at Lanka Varanasi was a regular pit stop for me during my student days at BHU.
A trip to Bhubaneshwar for a food lover is not complete without a visit to Lingaraj Lassi at Shahid Nagar.
In Hyderabad, few places are traditionally known for their lassi. Matwale Doodh Ghar, a few hundred metres from the Charminar is perhaps the most famous among these as it is part of many food walks in the vicinity. The special lassi here is a hot favourite with lots of khowa, malai and a dash of Rooh Afza.
Kashmiri Lassi near Ameerpet X Roads is a street stall serving lassi operating since 1962. Located right opposite the South India Shopping Mall, a glass of full lassi here costs just Rs 50. Served in earthen glasses, the lassi is prepared from continuously charging curd in a steel container and topped with khowa and a red cherry.
The stall has become so famous that they have people coming from far away locations to enjoy the lassi here. The present owners though have no clue why the original owners named it ‘Kashmiri Lassi’ in the first place.
Thick lassi from Punjab is always in demand, and the Punjabi restaurants of Hyderabad take pride in their lassis too. Dildaar at Madhapur has varieties of lassi on its menu. The thick Patiala Lassi is much in demand here, and they also have a special version with Kesar, pista, mango, and dry fruits. Sagar Papaji Ka Dhaba at Abids is the unquestionable favourite of many old Hyderabadis.
Trying out the sweet or salt versions of their lassi is mandatory for many of these loyal customers.
Oye Lassi is a chain of kiosks serving lassi and some more dishes with outlets all over the city. They have many varieties of lassis with some recipes having a twist – banana lassi, chocolate lassi, and dry fruit lassi are some which have found wide acceptance.
A competitor in the same segment is Lassi Shop with dry fruit lassi and saffron lassi being their claim to fame. This QSR chain headquartered in Bangalore is expanding fast to various locations in Hyderabad.
Apart from these, each area in the city has its popular lassi outlet. Especially in the evenings, you can find quite a crowd gathering around these shops enjoying their favourite drink.