Mango Lassi Overnight Oats

Why this works

A mango lassi is already most of an overnight oats recipe: fruit, curd, milk and cardamom. Blending them first and pouring the lassi over the oats means the mango flavour runs through every spoonful, rather than sitting in chunks on top. The oats and chia soak up the liquid in the fridge and set into something thick, cold and creamy.

Ripe mango is sweet enough that this needs no sugar. Alphonso and Kesar are the most fragrant; Banganapalli and Totapuri work but taste milder. A pinch of salt sounds odd in a sweet jar, but it makes the mango taste brighter.

Swaps

Use Greek yogurt or hung curd for a thicker, more tangy jar, and add an extra ¼ cup milk. For a vegan version, use coconut yogurt and almond or oat milk. Quick oats soften faster, in about 2 hours, but lose their bite. A pinch of saffron or a few drops of rose water take it into mango shrikhand territory.

For gluten-free overnight oats, use certified gluten-free oats.

Storage and serving

Covered jars keep 3 days in the fridge, so make two batches on Sunday night. Add the fresh mango and nuts just before eating. Do not freeze; the curd separates. For a summer breakfast on the move, take the jar and a spoon. Serve it with a handful of roasted nuts or seeds if you want something to chew alongside. The Department of Summer considers this a reasonable use of mango season.