Summer

Heirloom Tomato and Mango Lassi with Ground Sumac

by:
July 27, 2010
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Serves 1-2
Author Notes

Well just when I thought I was done with my recipes for this week, I had one lone gorilla orange blossom tomato left and a mango that needed to be used up as well. I had bought ground sumac a few weeks ago (at a mideastern grocery) without much thought to using it for summer drinks, but then this little experiment brought these ingredients together. The ground sumac offers a savory, lemony flavor to this recipe which delivers a very rich, creamy lassi, pretty darn healthy, too. Sumac comes from the cashew family, so if you have nut allergies take precautions. - Sagegreen —Sagegreen

Test Kitchen Notes

The lassi is deeply underappreciated, don’t you think? Cooling and substantive, it responds to your thirst with tang and candor. Here, Sagegreen makes a lassi (the second lassi submission for the tomato theme – one more and we’d have had a trend, friends) that’s expansively flavored, with not just mango but tomato, too. With not merely cardamom and honey but a sprinkling of sumac (if you can't find it, just double the lemon zest). The tomato has a way of sharpening up the mango with gutsy contrast. Serve this extraordinary treat (well-chilled!) to guests and make them guess the secret ingredients. – A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup thick Greek or Turkish yogurt, chilled
  • 1/2 cup chopped heirloom tomato that is sweet and juicy (Gorilla Orange Blossom or Valencia, for example)
  • 1/2 cup cubed fresh mango
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac (see photo) or 1/8 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/8 teaspoon zest of fresh lemon
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons acacia honey (or other type of your choice) to taste
  • 2 ice cubes, crushed up
  • sprinkle of sumac for garnish
  • spearmint leaf (or other herb) for garnish
Directions
  1. Combine all the non-garnish ingredients in a blender and process. Chill, if desired.
  2. Garnish with sumac sprinkles and a fresh herb sprig.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • WCmom
    WCmom
  • Kitchen Butterfly
    Kitchen Butterfly
  • onetribegourmet
    onetribegourmet
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • Lizthechef
    Lizthechef

62 Reviews

WCmom March 8, 2012
This sounded so strange I knew I had to try it, and I loved it! This would be fabulous on a hot day, with some spicy food. So refreshing, thanks for your share, Tricia
 
Sagegreen March 8, 2012
Thanks so much, Tricia!
 
Kitchen B. March 26, 2011
Made this last weekend, sans tomatoes plus a pinch of kosher salt to serve - wonderful. I ended up stirring the last of it into some Swiss bircher cereal!
 
Sagegreen March 26, 2011
Thanks so much, Kitchen Butterfly! I am delighted you enjoyed it.
 
onetribegourmet January 1, 2011
Love your Lassi recipe!
 
Sagegreen January 1, 2011
Thanks! It is so nice to see your use of sumac in your recipe, too. Congrats on your win!
 
J. A. December 30, 2010
I LOVE mango lassi! I definitely want to try this with heirloom tomatoes! Will have to save this recipe and make it when summer comes around.
 
Sagegreen December 30, 2010
Thanks, humingbirdap. It will be so great to have heirloom tomatoes again, too.
 
olin77 November 5, 2010
I'm new to the site, Sagegreen, and am just finding my way around. This lassi looks incredible and will give some purpose to a fresh tin of sumac that I got at a downtown NY farmers market last weekend. Can't wait to try it...
 
Sagegreen December 30, 2010
Welcome, olin77. I joined this site just this summer, and it has become an important part of my life. I hope you enjoy this incredible community of cooks. I just used sumac in a snack cake with V8 juice!
 
Sagegreen August 11, 2010
Thanks, everyone! You are all really great. I love this site: Never has losing been so sweet!!
 
adamnsvetcooking August 11, 2010
Everyone on this site is a winner in my eyes! Bunch of creative and amazing people :)
 
Lizthechef August 11, 2010
I can't remember when someone burst onto the scene here at food52 with so much creativity, enthusiasm and great stuff - congrats on being a finalist!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian August 11, 2010
I completely agree, sagegreen! You have so much creativity, ideas, enthusiasm, and great food, you'll have many more shots at it! I look forward to seeing your recipes each week.
 
thirschfeld August 11, 2010
nannydeb is smack on right. Your recipes are creative and really good. You will be in that winners circle soon I am certain of that.
 
Sagegreen August 11, 2010
You are very kind! Thank you.
 
nannydeb August 11, 2010
This is such a creative recipe (as are all of your recipes) and deserves the recognition. My recipe is so simple, I don't really understand the attention. Who knows what A&M are looking for? Thanks again for being so kind and gracious.
 
Sagegreen August 11, 2010
Nannydeb, you are very gracious! I knew all along you would win! But I appreciate the kindness and interest all the same.
 
Kerstin August 10, 2010
What a unique and creative recipe - I love it!
 
Sagegreen August 10, 2010
Thank you!
 
gingerroot August 9, 2010
Made this yesterday and it was delicious - the perfect creamy mix of sweet and savory - a good match for the Heirloom Tomato "Shorba" that I tested. Thanks!
 
Sagegreen August 9, 2010
Thank you so much for letting me know! I really appreciate it.
 
Sagegreen August 8, 2010
AntoniaJames made an interesting point about drupes under the video blog for this recipe. Let me add here, too, my comments about drupes! Sumac, a small tree, is in the "Rhus" family and includes many, many cultivars. Ground sumac can come from Rhus coriaria or aromatica. I am most familiar with the live staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) growing in my area; you can make a sour lemonade- type drink from its berries. This kind of sumac has fuzzy antler-like branches with their red berry clusters I've heard described both as drupes or stangs. Botanically, the drupe refers to the exocarp, the fleshy outer skin, and drupes have an interior pit (like peaches, plums, and cherries). Raspberries I have heard described as "drupelets." Mangoes are technically drupes, too! So this recipes includes double drupes, worth another giggle or two in my book.


 
Sagegreen August 8, 2010
Apology for the typo with the last sentence- should say "So this recipe" includes.....
 
mrslarkin August 7, 2010
sounds so refreshing! Just right for summer. Thanks for the recipe Sagegreen, and congrats on being a finalist!
 
Sagegreen August 7, 2010
I love that it is so easy to make. It is an honor to be a finalist (even against such an elegant beautiful tart with marscapone!)
 
WinnieAb August 6, 2010
Oh, this sounds so interesting and so so good! I picked up some sumac in NYC yesterday (yay!), so now I can make your lovely lassi :)
 
Sagegreen August 7, 2010
Thanks. I hope you like it!
 
lapadia August 5, 2010
Congratulations on the EP, and good luck as a finalist!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thank you. It is pretty thrilling!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
I just realized I misspelled cardamom in my recipe, but hope to get that corrected. To play further with flavor and color of your drink, you can experiment by adding other spices, too, such as saffon and a little tumeric, which is supposed to have great health benefits. The color is part of the fun of making this.
 
wanderash August 5, 2010
Very clever! This is a great recipe! Congrats!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thank you so much. I love your blog. How neat to collaborate with a cousin between Mexico and Germany!
 
Midge August 5, 2010
Looks beautiful and sounds utterly refreshing. Bravo Sagegreen!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thanks. Saturday is going to be such fun!
 
drbabs August 5, 2010
Congratulations! Lovely recipe!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thanks, but you have got me interested in ice cream now!
 
drbabs August 6, 2010
I wonder if you could turn your lassi into a frozen yogurt.
 
adamnsvetcooking August 6, 2010
That should be interesting!! Let me know if that works out.
 
Sagegreen August 6, 2010
That is a great idea, drbabs! I have frozen my lassis in ice cube trays before, and then added few cubes to the blender with the regular mix. That works well.
 
Kelsey B. August 5, 2010
This look so refreshing and full of great flavor!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thanks. Before only aliyaleekong had noticed this. It was a "sleeper."
 
ehrrin August 5, 2010
Congrats on the finals! This looks so lovely; I can't wait to try it. What an interesting twist. I hope our neighborhood food co-op has ground sumac!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thanks. If not, you can find it at world spice or amazon:
http://www.worldspice.com
or
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=?ie=UTF8&n=16310101&k=ground%20sumac&page=1 http://www.myspicesage.com/sumac-ground-p-235.html?s_kwcid=TC|8504|ground%20sumac||S|e|3628291952&gclid=CNT-hL-3jqMCFcl25QodZGcpdQ
 
Heena August 5, 2010
I love lassi and I love the twist you've given it. Congratulations!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thank you! Hope you will try it.
 
gingerroot August 5, 2010
YUM! Congratulations Sagegreen!!! I got a few mangoes in my CSA box and now I know what I am going to make with them...I cannot wait to try this.
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thanks! I have resolved to follow a healthier route even more after plum week is over with more recipes in this direction.
 
The R. August 5, 2010
What an interesting combination of flavors!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
And it is really healthy! Thank you.
 
dymnyno August 5, 2010
Congratulations...this sounds delicious...I have never made a lassi but I am going to make this soon!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thank you. I am amazed!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian August 5, 2010
Congratulations sagegreen!!!! I love lassies and am definitely making this. I'm so happy for you that you're in the finals this week. And thanks so much for the tip on the sumac. I'm allergic to nuts, as is my husband, and had no idea about the sumac. BTW, at least here locally, sumac is also available at WF in the small spice/herb boxes.
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thank you. Does this mean I am in the finals? That would amaze me. Anyway, you can find sumac online even from Amazon.com among other sources.
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
I can't believe I am in a final! Btw, if you rub a little sumac or a sumac berry on your wrist, you can see if you have a skin reaction the next day. If so, then do not use sumac. I have another kind of sumac in an iced tea recipe with more info. Some people who are allergic to nuts are actually fine with sumac...but pretest carefully! Or just increase the lemon zest as A&M brilliantly suggest.
 
adamnsvetcooking August 5, 2010
Congratulation Sagegreen...I will have to make it when I come back from my trip!!
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thanks. It is a nice healthy drink that can be restorative after travels, since it is so quick to make! It is very cooling, particularly good after a spicy Indian meal.
 
thirschfeld August 5, 2010
Oh Sagegreen congratulations. I made a special stop just to get sumac yesterday because I wanted to make this to serve as a finale for an Indian meal. I can't wait to make it. Well done.
 
Sagegreen August 5, 2010
Thanks! I am making one last dish with plums that may get finished in time that has Indian inspiration. Sometimes I sneak in a little tumeric more for the color than the taste.
 
aliyaleekong August 4, 2010
What a lovely incarnation. I grew up drinking this so so nice to see a twist...
 
Sagegreen August 4, 2010
Thanks. I make one kind of drink like this a day, so I always am happy to share the most interesting results.
 
Sagegreen July 28, 2010
You can find ground sumac online such as at Amazon. com. Don't buy the 50 lb. bag though. A few ounces will suffice.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=?ie=UTF8&n=16310101&k=ground%20sumac&page=1