Breakfast luxury

Last night we had a really nice Indian dinner: a fenugreek-scented yogurt curry with ribbons of fresh-from-the-garden kale, and a batch of Mrs. Ramachandran's Chicken, which is a recipe I got at Bakerina's place. The chicken is so easy and good. And I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for the perfect way to use leftover chicken. This is it.

I served the above with brown rice and leftover homemade pitas. It was delicious, but of course in a family of two, leftovers beget leftovers and I am fully aware that I will be eating the same thing for lunch today.

So why fight it? I am in an Indian-food mood. And what better way to use the gorgeous champagne mango I bought at the grocery than to start the day off like this?

MANGO LASSI
1 ripe mango, cubed (see note)
1 c. plain nonfat yogurt
2 ice cubes, plus additional ice cubes for serving
1 to 2 tsp. sugar, depending on the sweetness of your mango

Put the cubed mango, the yogurt, the 2 ice cubes, and the sugar in a blender. Blend for several minutes, scraping down the sides once or twice, until frothy and fully blended. Serve over ice in a tall glass.

Note: The best way to cut up a mango is as follows. Balance the mango on one of its narrow sides on a cutting board. Slice down through it longways, about 1/3 of the way in, skimming alongside the long oval pit. Repeat on the other side. Now take the two sides you've cut off and score the flesh into cubes with the knife, not cutting through the peel. Use a large spoon to scoop the cubes out. At this point you still have a pit with quite a bit of fruit attached to it. Run your knife along the inside of the remaining strip of peel and discard it, then cut the rest of the fruit off as best you can.