MarketBasket: Lassi, come home

Yogurt has never been more popular in America, but the drinkable yogurt known as lassi has a long tradition in the Indian-Pakistani culture.

Mango is the most common flavor.

But at Nanee's Kitchen, the quick-serve Pakistani stand that just moved to a larger spot in the Reading Terminal Market, I've become obsessed with the cardamom lassi they make by steeping whole green pods in yogurt overnight.

The result is creamy, cool, refreshing and exotic, with a vivid cardamom flavor that's the perfect reply to basmati pilaf ladled with fragrant lentils and chickpea curry.

- Craig LaBan

 Cardamom lassi, $2.85 a bottle, Nanee's Kitchen, Reading Terminal Market, 267-918-0786.