Recipe
Mint Chai Banana Lassi Made with MINT CHAInstant
When iced chai is poured over ice, the water takes both the aroma and the sweetness with it. So this lassi uses no ice. Brew the chai the day before and keep it in the refrigerator, then combine it with yogurt straight from the fridge. That alone gives you a coldness that never dilutes.
MINT CHAInstant layers yerba buena, peppermint and cinnamon basil over the 12 spices that form the base of the chai. Mint's coolness stands tallest on top of yogurt's acidity and milk fat. That is what those herbs are layered in for.
No sugar is added. Unrefined cane sugar, a natural match for chai, is blended in from the start, and together with the sweetness of a ripe banana, that is enough.
The chai is brewed exactly as in "Hot Chai Made with CHAInstant". No change to amounts or times.
Total time: about 10 min
Add to this 3 hours of chilling the brewed chai in the refrigerator. Brewed the night before, it is chilled just right by morning.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- MINT CHAInstant — 1 (tea bag plus the powder in the packet)
- Boiling water — 90 ml
- Milk — 130 ml (soy or oat milk also works)
- Yogurt (unsweetened) — 200 g
- Banana — 1 (fully ripe)
Preparation
- Chill the yogurt well in the refrigerator.
- If not using a blender, have a deep bowl, a whisk and a fork ready.
Instructions
- Put the MINT CHAInstant tea bag in a mug. Add all the powder left in the packet as well.
- Pour in the 90 ml of boiling water and wait 2 minutes. Tea leaves open in boiling water. If you add milk right away and heat it, neither the aroma nor the tea's strength fully comes out.
- Pour in the 130 ml of milk.
- Heat in a microwave (600 W) for 1 minute 20 seconds. It boils over easily, so leave plenty of room in the mug. If your microwave is not 600 W, start with a shorter time so it doesn't overheat.
- Stir well and let it cool with the tea bag still in. Once it has cooled down, move it to the refrigerator and chill thoroughly, at least 3 hours.
- Once chilled, lift out the tea bag. When drinking, it normally stays in, but here the chai goes into a blender, so it comes out. Squeezing releases astringency, so lift it out without pressing.
- Put the chilled chai, the 200 g of yogurt and the peeled, broken banana into a blender, and blend for 30 seconds until smooth. Without a blender, mash the banana with a fork in a bowl, then whisk in the chai and yogurt.
- Pour into glasses. Done
Why no ice
Diluted with ice, the melting water thins both the aroma and the sweetness. The coldness comes from chilling the chai thoroughly and using the yogurt straight from the refrigerator. In a hurry, set the container of brewed chai in ice water to chill it. The chai itself stays undiluted.
Why no added sugar
MINT CHAInstant is blended from the start with unrefined cane sugar, a natural match for chai. Together with the sweetness of a ripe banana, that is enough. If you'd like it sweeter, add a small amount of honey just before drinking.
It contains caffeine, as it is made with Assam tea. When sharing with small children, keep their portion modest.
The Inspice used in this recipe
No measuring, and dispatched in one to two business days.
A blend that layers yerba buena, peppermint, and cinnamon basil over the twelve spices that form the chai base. The coolness of mint stands tallest over the tang and milk fat of yogurt. With unrefined red sugar already in, it comes together without added sugar.
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