I like to refrigerate this lassi, covered, with all the seasonings in it, for a couple of hours. Then I strain and serve it. It is particularly good at the very start of a meal, served in tiny glasses to whet the appetite. (You may also strain and serve it as soon as it is made, with a couple of ice cubes. The flavors will be mellower.) You can easily double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients

　　1 cup plain yogurt (preferably Greek or acidophilus yogurt)

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1/2–1 fresh hot green chili (such as bird’s-eye)

　　7–8 fresh curry leaves or 2–3 fresh basil leaves

　　One 1/3-inch slice fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

　　1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

　　Put all the ingredients as well as 1/2 cup water in a blender and blend for 2–3 minutes. Strain and serve.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.