Life Without Alu?: Thandai (Refreshing Indian Drink)

Thandai comes from the word Thand which means cold. Thandai is a cold and refreshing drink prepared with several different ingredients. If you have never tried Thandai before, now is the perfect time to do it.

Maha Shivaratri and Holi are both huge festivals in India and this drink is a must have on both these days. Holi, as I have mentioned several times before, has a special significance in my life not only because of the fun while playing colors but also because of all the cooking my mom does.

Imagine the day of Holi like Thanksgiving here in the US. Everyone goes to meet their family members. There is a lot of food and drink and no one works. People play colors, they meet friends and family, eat, drink, repeat. Shops are closed and everyone just chills and takes the day off. People play loud music and dance while playing colors. Then, in the evening everyone gets cleaned up to go for Holi Milan - a get together after holi.

Now that I am in a different country, I still try to do whatever I can on these special days. Believe me I do not miss the loud music and people throwing water balloons on passers by. However, I do miss the other things like my mom continuously cooking one dish after another. I still don't know how she does it.

I have always had Thandai prepared by my mom but this time I decided to get ready-made Thandai. I was shocked at the flavor and the amount of sugar! The store bought Thandai had almost no good or real stuff in it. It was a clever composition of extracts and flavors to trick the customer into thinking that they were actually drinking something healthy.

I got curious and asked my mom the recipe for Thandai. When I compared the ingredients list with the store bought pack, I immediately knew that preparing this at home is the wisest choice. And yes you will need quite a few things but the amounts will be small.

In India Thandai is prepared in two different ways, one for the younger crowd (which is the recipe I am sharing here) and the other for the adults or grown ups with a little amount of bhang (an edible mixture made from the buds, leaves, and flowers of the female cannabis, or marijuana plant). Well we were never allowed to drink the grown up version so no questions about that recipe please.

Remember to strain the mixture before consuming it otherwise all the tiny particles of spices and nuts will irritate your throat. But before doing that make sure the milk has got enough time to absorb all the delicious flavors.

Hope you also enjoy this delicious drink as much as we do and Happy Holi!

Ingredients:

Almonds - 1 heaped tablespoon (about 15)
Cashews - 1 heaped tablespoon (about 15)
Black Peppercorns - 4
Green Cardamoms - 4
Poppy Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon - ¼ teaspoon
Nutmeg - ¼ teaspoon
White Sugar - 3 tablespoons
Saffron strands - 1 teaspoon
Whole Milk - ½ cup + 2 cups
Rose water - 1 teaspoon

Directions:

Dry grind the Almonds, Cashews, Black Peppercorns, Green Cardamoms, Poppy Seeds, Fennel seeds, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and White Sugar together. I used my Nutri Bullet (Milling blade) for this.
Now add 1 cup of Milk in it. Blend till everything mixes smoothly. I used my NutriBullet (Extractor blade) for this.
Transfer to the fridge for at least 30 minutes, this helps the milk to absorb all the wonderful flavors.
Take ½ cup of Milk in a bowl and add the Saffron strands in it.
Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Keep the lukewarm milk aside.
Once cool, transfer to the fridge.
Strain the Thandai using a sieve to the serving pitcher (do not skip this step, the small bits of almond peel and spices should be strained to make the Thandai smooth for drinking).
Add the Rose water and the Saffron milk to the Thandai. Taste and add more milk if the consistency is thick or the flavor is too bold. Transfer to the fridge.
Serve cold.