Thandai… the word itself is so cooling. The purpose of this drink, to cool you during the hot summer that just begins in India during the festival of Holi. If you have been to India and not played Holi, you have missed out! The western world has adopted our festival for color runs! The colorful powder is thrown at each other and the celebration goes on all day long! A night before the Holika is burned to signify the letting go of all things bad and welcoming of everything good.
As a kid, I remember waking up early in the morning and going to all the neighboring houses applying Holi to everyone. Then a bus would come to pick all the kids from the colony up and take us to our club. We played Holi with water till we were dragged home by our parents! The color does not look like what they show in movies but it all mixes making a weird black brown which would take a couple of days to wash off. LOL 😀 Good old days with good old memories!
Like all other Indian festivals, it is incomplete without food! Thandai is definitely one of the most popular drinks during the festival. Usually ground on a stone grinder, adding a little bit of bhaang to it, it is enjoyed by both young and old. The contents of the thandai are known to have many benefits on your health including cooling you down. Here is my version minus the bhaang 😉 You can make the Thandai powder ahead of time and then just serve up your guest at the time of your Holi celebration!
What you will need:
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Almonds | 30 grams |
| Cashew Nuts | 30 grams |
| Pistachio | 30 grams |
| Watermelon Seeds/ Char Magaj | 30 grams |
| Poppy Seeds | 10 grams |
| Sugar | 50 grams |
| Rose Petals | 1 teaspoon |
| Fennel Seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| Black Pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Saffron | Few strands |
| Nutmeg | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Cardamom Powder | 1/4 teaspoon |
How to make it:
- In a mixer, add all the nuts and spices. Add rose petals and saffron as well. They are both optional. Add sugar to the mixer as well. Grind into a fine powder.
- Store in an airtight container.
- When ready to serve, add 3 teaspoons of powder to 50 ml milk and heat it. Let it come down to room temperature and then add another 200 ml of cold milk.
- Optionally, you can just add 250 ml of cold milk along with 3 teaspoons of thandai powder and blend it. I prefer this method as it is faster.
- Store the powder and enjoy it whenever you crave a cold drink during the upcoming summer months.
- Happy Holi!!