Quick and Easy Thandai
I am roll since the beginning of March. I always love working in the kitchen, but seem to be on a major creative upswing. And now comes Thandai. What is that you might ask? Well, Thandai is a milk based nourishing and thirst quenching drink. It is a classic recipe for the festival of Holi.
A Little More About Holi
The generic name is Holi, in Eastern India, we call it Dol or Dol Purnima. So, like most Hindu festivals, the full moon or purnima is auspicious and Holi or Dol is on the first full moon or purnima in the month of Phagun.
Every part of the world ushers in the change of seasons and welcomes spring in their own way. In India, spring is welcomed with a riot of colors and classic sweet and savory dishes. Like most spring festivals, we celebrate renewal and a triumph of good over evil.
What is Thandai?
And, a signature drink for Holi is Thandai. Other recipes that you may want to try are gujiyas, samosas, and ragda patties. Something like Indian Rice pudding of course is always welcome.
The name Thandai comes from Thanda, meaning cold in Hindi or Bengali. The unique combination of fennel, black pepper, and cardamom brings a refreshing effect. Essentially an assortment of nuts, spices, are powdered and then mixed into milk. This milk can be tinted with saffron and garnished with all kinds of colorful ingredients such as edible rose petals.
If you are feeling adventurous you can spike your Thandai as well. A generous shot of vodka or coconut rum is never a bad idea. After all, getting your hands on the more traditional intoxicating mix Bhang might be a little harder.
A few tips and tricks
Back to the Thandai, if you know me by now. You will know that I like to keep things simple. To ensure that my Thandai is smooth without the fuss of sifting and straining, I do the following.
- I grind the nuts and spices separately in a spice/coffee grinder until very smooth.
- I then grind with a little milk in the blender to form a paste
- Lastly I mix then in the milk.
The mixture is naturally gluten free, and if you want to keep it vegan I would suggest almond milk and increasing the amount of nuts. In addition to the traditional rendition of whole milk, I have tried it with an assortment of vegan milks. My vote in the later dimension is for almond milk.
And even if you are not looking at Holi, this is a lovely feel good indulgent sort of drink.
A gorgeous chilled drink that is lush, rich, and uniquely seasoned.
Ingredients
- 3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
- 1 blade of mace
- 1/2 cup shelled blanched almonds (see note)
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
- 1/4 cup melon seeds (see note)
- 1 teaspoon saffron strands
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 5 cups of whole milk
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- Rose Petals and Chopped Nuts to garnish
Instructions
- Grind the peppercorns, fennel seeds, cardamom seeds and mace in a spice/coffee grinder until powdered.
- Grind the almonds, pistachios, and melon seeds until powdered. Mix well together. If you wish you can make this mixture ahead of time and store and use as needed.
- Add this powdered mixture to 1/4 cup of milk and blend until a smooth paste is formed.
- Soak the saffron strands in 1/4 cup of the milk. If you wish, you can warm the milk slightly. This helps the color bloom quick, but not completely necesarry.
- In the meantime add the remaining milk to the blender and blend until smooth. If this is too much liquid you can add two glass blend until smooth.
- Remove this mixture and add the saffron steeped milk and the additional milk in a large jug.
- Pour into glasses or a serving jug and chill.
- To serve, place a teaspoon of rose petals at the bottom of the glass. Add in a few ice cubed (if desired) and pour the than
- Serve over ice garnished with rose petals and additional chopped nuts.
- Enjoy !
Notes
The combination of nuts and melon seeds are a guideline. If you cannot find melon seeds, that is ok, you can increase the almonds or add in cashews. You can use all honey, or just sugar. This makes a large amount of the thandai, so for a smaller amount you can half the recipe.
Agua Frescas and Paletas - A cookbook review - Spice Chronicles
[…] And the fun part of it is that you can save the melon seeds, and make a quick horchata. Not quite so elaborate, but, it brings back Thandai memories. […]