Thandai, as the name suggests, is a cool and relaxing beverage, traditionally associated with festivals like Holi and Maha Shivratri. It is a lip-smacking drink with the goodness and flavours of various nuts, spices and seeds. As Holi is round the corner, we highly recommend you add spunk to your Holi with this recipe of Thandai. You do not even need to wait for any occasion to have this drink actually – it’s perfect to beat the heat on any summer day.
Ingredients :
- Almonds – 1/4 cup (14-15 almonds)
- Milk – 1 cup (boiled and cooled)
- Sugar – 2 tablespoons (heap)
- Whole Black Pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
- Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus) – 1 teaspoon (heap)
- Muskmelon Seeds (Peeled)- 1 teaspoon (heap)
- Watermelon Seeds (Peeled) – 1 teaspoon (heap)
- Cardamoms – 2-3 pieces
- Few strands of saffron (Kesar)
- Crushed Ice/ Ice cubes (optional)
Serves: 2 persons
Preparation Time: 4 Hours (Including soaking time)
Method
Soak Almonds in water for 4 Hours. Soak cardamoms, poppy seeds, muskmelon seeds, watermelon seeds and black pepper in water in another bowl for about an hour.
Add the saffron strands and sugar to milk. Mix well and keep aside.
Once all the above preparation is done, peel the skin of all the almonds and grind it in a mixie/grinder by adding just enough water. Once it is a bit ground, add black pepper, poppy seeds, melon seeds, watermelon seeds, cardamom and little amount of water as needed to the grinder, and grind all the ingredients together into a smooth paste. (Take care to add only sufficient water needed for ingredients to grind well together. Excess water will make Thandai watery)
Strain the ground mix through a strainer or muslin cloth using little water, and add it to the milk.
Add about a cup of water more to the milk and mix well. Please adjust water quantity if you want to as per your desired consistency.
Thandai is ready. Refigerate and serve it chilled. Add crushed ice/ice cubes if you wish to before serving.