A yogurt cooler, made and shot by Mackenzie Smith Kelley.

It was very hot and humid in June 2018, and I was about 7 and a half months pregnant. My husband and I drove to Dallas so he could work as my digital tech and I could shoot the last leg of the Indian-ish cookbook with Priya, her parents Ritu and Shelly, and our food stylist Judy Kim.

We all posted up at the Krishnas for the weekend, where we would photograph the new cover option and a few stragglers that didn’t make it into the first round of recipes we shot for the book earlier in the year. One of those was Ritu’s South Indian Yogurt Cooler, a refreshing drink she would often share with her friends when they met up on the weekends for long social hikes.

Priya and I thought it would be fun to shoot the yogurt cooler by driving about 30 minutes out to the spot where they liked to hike and include Ritu with some of her friends in the shot. But, we were only there for the weekend, and shooting the cover was the priority. The Yogurt Cooler was not.

Instead of driving out for a hike at 7am, Ritu got up with me while the rest of the house was still asleep, donned her hiking gear, and blended a big batch of the icy, spicy yogurt cooler that has become a beloved staple in our home over the past few years.

I tasted that frothy mix of yogurt, cilantro, curry leaves, ginger, hot pepper, hing, a pinch of salt, and a handful of ice for the first time right before we headed down to the small stream in the Krishna’s backyard. We did our best to make it look like Ritu might be breaking for the yogurt cooler after a long hike with friends and wrapped the shot within 15 minutes, pretty quick, given our 30-45 minute average per shot with that book. I was admittedly very motivated to get back inside with a full glass of my new favorite refreshment, which I made every single day until my baby was born that August, and again on many summer days since then.

There are so many gems in Indian-ish that Ritu’s yogurt cooler hasn’t gotten a ton of attention, but I am here to tell you that it’s worth a try, especially as we move into warmer months and cilantro is still thriving.

Hing, or Aesafetida, is a flavor enhancer that Priya says makes food taste more Indian. I don't know about that, but I do know it makes food taste more delicious, and it's worth a trip to one of Austin's Indian grocers for a small jar of it. While you're there, pick up some fresh curry leaves (buy the whole plant if they are available!) I could tell you to make something else with the leftover leaves, but if you're anything like me, you'll be making the yogurt cooler often enough you won't need any inspiration for the curry leaves.

Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups full-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
• 4 fresh curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 small Indian green chile or serrano chile, chopped
• pinch of hing
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup ice cubes
• (I also love to add 1 small squeeze of lime and about half a teaspoon of zest for an extra boost of vitamin c and even more zing!)

Blend well until frothy, serve.

Ritu and her yogurt cooler. Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley, shot originally for Indian-ish.