Hyderabad: Beat the heat with lip-smacking lassi

The yogurt-based drink is most sought after particularly during the summer

Hyderabad: As the scorching summer season sets in, city dwellers are turning to various cold drinks to quench their thirst. Of them all, the traditional yogurt-based drink, lassi, stands out as a favorite for most Hyderabadis.

The creamy drink that is often associated with a Punjabi meal and has roots in the northern part of the country, earned a rather special place here. With a Lassi shop franchise kiosk in almost every area across the city, and multiple other juice centers selling the drink with their own twist, the people of Hyderabad have truly embraced lassi.

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Just a few meters away from the iconic Charminar, Matwale Doodh Ghar is one of the oldest places in the city to sell lassi. Established around 56 years ago, they are a go-to not just for their special lassi, but also for malai gulab jamun, rabri, khlakhand, faluda, and other dairy-based sweets.

“On top of our lassi, we add a scoop of hand-made raspberry ice cream, a recipe that my father left behind, and a bit of malai. It is one of our landmark drinks and a lot of people come from faraway places to drink our lassi,” says Mohammed Matwale. They are open every day of the week from ten in the morning to midnight and are also available on online food delivery platforms.

Another store in the city that is known for its experimental lassi is Nice Juice Shop in Secunderabad. “We have five kinds of lassi with different flavors and the mixed fruit lassi loaded with fruits and nuts is one of the best sellers,” says the owner. Interestingly, this store also sells one-of-a-kind camel milkshakes, panjeri gold, and zafrani chilkoza.

They have an outlet in Tolichowki as well.

Kashmiri Lassi in Ameerpet, Punjabi Haveli Dhaba near Shamirpet, Pista House, and Balkishan Milk Bhandar in Begum Bazar, are some other places that sell tasty glasses of lassi.

Apart from providing relief from the soaring temperatures, lassi is an excellent source of probiotics that helps in digestion and boosts the immune system as well.