Thandai

Thandai is a Rajasthani drink made with various nuts and aromatic spices. With time it has become the quintessential drink of Holi all over India and is best served chilled. You can make the nuts paste and the spice powder instantly and then add it to the chilled milk to make an instant thandai, but you will get the best flavour when you will let the spiced milk rest overnight inside the fridge, giving it time to absorb and enhance its flavour. Add some more ice cubes while serving, to make it extra chilled.

Thandai

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 litre of whole full fat cow milk

1 cup of sugar

4 green cardamoms

1 tbsp gulkand / dried rose petals

3 tbsp almonds

2 tbsp pistachios

2 tbsp cashews

1 tbsp melon seeds

1 big pinch of saffron strands

1 small cinnamon stick

Method:

Blanch the almonds overnight in room temperature water and then peel off their skin.

In a grinder put together the blanched almonds, pistachios, cashews and melon seeds. Add a little milk and make a fine paste of them. Keep this paste aside.

With the help of a mortar and pestle grind the green cardamoms, cinnamon stick and gulkand to a fine powder and keep it aside.

Pour the milk in a big cooking pot and let it come to a boil.

Add the sugar and wait until it melts.

Add the saffron strands and 1 and ½ tsp of the cardamom, cinnamon and gulkand powder.

Add the cashew nuts, almonds and pistachio mixture.

Stir to mix and simmer for 5 minutes more.

Switch off the flame and let the milk come to room temperature.

Put the milk inside the milk and chill overnight.

Next day, pour the milk in glasses and serve right away.