
Summer is South Asian mango season. Indian grocery stores carry sweet, fragrant varieties like Kesar and Alphonso. And if you’re lucky, you can sample velvety, out-of-this-world Pakistani mangoes. Priced at $10 per mango, at least in some shops in the Chicago area where I live, they are a luxurious treat – practically the equivalent of dessert at a fancy restaurant. My mother-in-law, who grew up in Pakistan, has been buying up Indian and Pakistani mangoes for her dairy-free version of lassi, a popular South Asian smoothie. With homemade almond milk in place of yogurt, her recipe is less mango lassi and more milkshake, and takes just minutes to make. Read more, and view the recipe, in my latest Knockturnal food column.