Papaya Lassi - Delicious and healthy way to start the week!

A mango lassi is typically an Indian drink and is very similar to a fruit shake or milkshake, but the milk is just replaced by yogurt. Yogurt is one of the most used dairy products in India, mostly for its cooling and refreshing qualities. A lassi can be made with any fruit, but at the moment papayas are at their peak here in South Africa so it was my fruit of choice. I also feel extremely healthy when eating papaya, it is wonderful for the digestive system and is packed with vitamins A, B and C. Papayas are also very sweet so the lassi needs very little or no sugar.

In India or Indian restaurants a lassi can be served plain, salted, sweetened or with fruit, sometimes even with spices like chili, cardamom or cumin. When a fruit like papaya is added, this delicious drink is served as a dessert rather than a drink with a meal.
I have been battling to get rid of a nasty old cold and I believe the first thing to check is always ones diet. I have come to the realization that through the winter months my fruit intake has not been what it should be. So, let's at least start the week on a good note. For my Papaya Lassi I used the following:

Ingredients

1/2 a papaya
250ml low-fat plain yogurt
juice and zest of 1 orange
zest and juice of 1 lime
a small pinch of salt
125ml milk
2 tsp honey

Peel paw-paw, remove the pips and cut in cubes. Place the papaya with all the ingredients is a blender and blend until smooth and silky. Taste and add more honey or more lime juice according to taste.
This papaya lassi can also be served as a refreshing dessert after a hot curry meal. Feel free to experiment with different kinds of fruit and spices.