Holi Special Thandai

No Holi party is complete without 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐢. Though there won’t be any party or fun this year again like last year 😷😞, but we can surely have some fun at home with our loved ones 💞, with all the Holi Special Delicacies 😋. And the 1st thing comes in mind when we think about holi delicacies is none other than 🧊 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐢 🥛
Thandai is an Indian cold drink, most commonly consumed in north India, prepared with a mixture of almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, fennel seeds, watermelon seeds, poppy seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, dry rose petals, milk and sugar. It is native to India and is often associated with the Maha Shivaratri and Holi festival.
Though thandai refers to a traditional festival drink made with exotic spices, nuts and seeds, but this versatile drink can also be prepared in many different ways like rose thandai, mango thandai, badaam kesar thandai, bhang thandai and many more 😋.
Specially for holi, the “bhang wali thandai” is the most popular one 😁. This variation is a cannabis infused drink, causing an intoxicating effect when consumed. But today I have made the non alcoholic version with 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐢 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐱 (checkout this thandai powder recipe in my previous post). Relish the festive spirit with this traditional delicacy that will bring back colourful childhood memories 🌈

Ingredients:

• Full Cream Milk – 500 ml
• Thandai Masala Mix – 4 tsp
• Sugar / Jaggery Powder – 2 tsp (or as per taste)
• Ice Cubes – 5 – 6 (optional)
• Shredded Pistachios – for garnishing
• Shredded Almonds – for garnishing
• Saffron Strands – pinch of + for garnishing
• Dry Rose Petals – for garnishing

Ingredients for Thandai Masala Mix 👆

Method:

1. Soak saffron in warm milk, mix and set aside for few minutes till saffron releases its colour.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pan combine milk, thandai masala and sugar or jaggery powder. Whisk with a hand blender until well blended 👇.

3. Now bring the milk mixture to a boil. Keep stirring the thandai. Once the thandai comes to a full boil, switch off the flame. Allow the Thandai to cool down to room temperature.

4. Then add the saffron milk 👆 that we had prepared earlier in the recipe. Mix well and then keep it in refrigerator for atleast 2 – 3 hours, so that it can soak in all the flavours. If you have time then it’s best to keep it refrigerated for overnight ⏰.

5. And the Holi special Chilled Thandai is ready to be served. Take out from refrigerator and give it a good stir. Strain the milk mixture through a sieve if you want smooth creamy texture. But I skipped this step as I love having my thandai a little chunky.

6. Now in glasses add some ice cubes and pour the thandai. Then garnish with some shredded almonds, pistachios, saffron strands and dry rose petals and serve chilled.