Thandai

Hi Friends. Its almost the end of winter and less than a week for Holi. Holi is a spring festival in India also known as festival of colors. It signifies the arrival of spring and celebrations usually involve gathering of friends and playing with colors , dance and relishing lots of food and drinks. I still miss the fun in india , but try to celebrate as much as i can here with my friends. One of the most popular drinks in North India served during Holi is Thandai. Its a refreshing drink made with nuts and spices and has a cooling effect on the body hence the name “thandai” . I never tried it back when i was living in India ,but now i make it every year around this time and it has become one of my favourite drink. Do try making it this holi . Recipe below.

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Thandai

Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1/2 gallon Whole milk
1 cup sugar ( less or more depending on how sweet you like it )
3 tbsps rose water
Pinch of saffron soaked in 3tbsps warm milk

Ingredients to be soaked in 1/2 cup water

25 Almonds
25 Cashew nuts
15 Pistachios
1 tbsp Fennel seeds
1 tbsp Poppy seeds
10 Peppercorns

Directions

Soak the the required ingredients in 1/2 cup water for 30mins . Strain the water leaving a little / 2tbsps water and grind it to fine paste and set aside.
Boil ½ gallon milk in a pot on medium heat for approx 5 mins ,stirring and making sure the bottom doesn’t stick to the pot . Switch off the flame and let it cool to room temperature. Add the paste and sugar to the milk and mix it until completely combined.
Set aside in the refregirator for 2hrs so all the flavors are well incorporated.
Strain the milk into a pitcher and discard the residue. Now add the rose water and saffron milk.
Chill for an hr and then pour into serving glasses , garnished with crushed pistachios and almonds. Enjoy.