Thandai Recipe
Thandai is a popular and refreshing North Indian drink prepared during the festival of Holi and Mahashivratri! It is a dairy-based drink made by blending milk with a nutritious mix of nuts, seeds, and spices.
Servings 5 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the thandai masala
- 1/4 cup raw almonds 40 grams
- 10 unsalted cashew nuts 20 grams
- 20 to 25 unsalted pistachios. shelled 20 grams
- 2 tablespoons melon seeds 25 grams
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 10 grams
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 12 grams
- 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorn, adjust as per desired heat
- 12-15 green cardamom seeds, about 1 teaspoon
- 2 tablespoons edible dried rose petals
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup mishri dana (rock sugar), you may substitute with regular granulated sugar, adjust as per desired sweetness
For the thandai drink
- 1 cup of prepared thandai paste
- 1 liter full-fat/whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron strands, crushed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of rose water
Instructions
- In a bowl, add almonds and pistachios, soak in 1/2 cup of water for 4 to 6 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- In a medium bowl, add cashew nuts, melon seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom, and edible dried rose petals.
- Add about 3/4 cup of water, mix well, cover, and set aside for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
- Peel the almonds and pistachios and add them to a blender.
- Transfer the remaining ingredients to a blender along with the water used for soaking. Also, add grated nutmeg and sugar.
- Blend to a smooth paste. Add more water if needed to achieve a smooth paste.
- Boil milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add 2 tablespoons of hot milk to crushed saffron in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Switch off the heat and set aside the milk until it turns lukewarm.
- Add the saffron-infused milk and thandai masala paste to the lukewarm milk, mix well.
- Taste and adjust with more sugar if needed.
- Once the milk has cooled down completely, add 1 tablespoon of rose water (optional), mix well. Taste and adjust with another tablespoon of rose water if needed. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until chilled.
- When you are ready to serve strain the thandai using a muslin cloth (the traditional way) or a fine-mesh sieve over a pitcher, pressing back against the solids to extract maximum flavor.
- Add some ice cubes or crushed ice to a serving glass, pour the thandai. Garnish with slivered nuts, dried rose petals, and saffron strands. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
This recipe makes approximately 1.5 cups or 375 grams of thandai masala paste. I used 1 cup of paste for 1 litre of milk to make kesar badam thandai and the remaining paste to make plain thandai. If you want to consume the entire batch of paste, increase the milk to 1.5 liters. Also, increase the sugar as per your desired sweetness.
This recipe makes 1 liter of thandai after straining it. The number of servings will depend on the serving glass. If you serve in a kullad (which has a volume of around 1/2 cup or 125 ml), you will be able to serve 8 people. If serving in a glass which is about 200 ml, it will serve 5 people.
Straining is optional, and you may skip it if you don't mind the texture. Though I suggest straining it for a smooth and creamy texture.
Kindly refer to the storage instructions, variations, recipe tips, and FAQ for more info related to this post!