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Lassi

Basic lassi is nothing more than yoghurt, water and a little salt or sugar, but it tastes so good. Lassis are another nice thing about Indian travel -you can get them everywhere and in the tourist centres banana lassis are especially popular. I have to make a monumental concession here and say that banana lassis are better made with a food processor. However - they can be made without. You can mash a banana with a fork and get a fairly smooth result. Bhang lassi is also rather good. Bhang is made from ganja leaves and the best bhang lassi I've ever had was in Pushkar. I've mentioned Pushkar elsewhere (see the 'Pushkar sandwiches' and 'Cauliflower and potato bhaji' recipes). It really is a fantastic place for vegetarians to visit - for anyone to visit in fact.

If you do ever think about going the best way is to enter India through Delhi airport. From New Delhi train station you can travel by really comfortable 'air-con' train to Ajmer which takes about 8 hours - a short hop by Indian standards. A bus leaves from Ajmer train station every hour or so and goes over the mountains to Pushkar. This takes about an hour and only costs a few rupees, though you may have to stand on one leg for the journey if the bus gets crowded (there's always room for one more passenger on an Indian village bus). Cheap accommodation is really easy to find at any time of the day in Pushkar, unless you go when the big camel fair is on. That's sometime in August I think. It's far too hot then anyway - much better to visit in winter. Plan for three or four days and stay a week or two - everyone else does.

There's food on sale everywhere in Pushkar. It's good to try everything. However, if you're inclined to try a bhang lassi, be aware that they aren't always so good. Sometimes they contain chemicals in place of the bhang and can make you ill. The best thing would be to ask around for advice on where to get the good ones. If you're going to go for it, wait till an hour before sunset when it is cooler, ask for your 'special' lassi - it isn't always on the menu - then sit and watch the sunset while the lassi kicks in - superb.

I won't do the standard recipe layout for lassi - it's too simple. Just beat together some water and yoghurt until you get a drinking consistency. Add salt and spices or sugar and fruit pulp/juice (mango juice is good but steer clear of citrus fruits). I much prefer the salty lassis - they're much more refreshing. My favourite is with a generous pinch of cumin powder, dried mint and red chilli powder, but you should experiment.

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