Thandai (Holi Special Drink)

Thandai is a cooling nutty and spiced drink made during the festival of Holi, the Indian festival of colors. It has a myriad of rich delicious flavors! The word "thanda" translates to cold in hindi. It's base is milk (you can use nut milk for dairy free) which is flavored with seeds, nuts and spices. While it is usually served chilled but you could have it hot as well.

5 minutes

20 minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	1286
Fat:	106 g
Carbohydrates:	74 g
Protein:	33 g
Cholesterol:	115 g
Sodium:	142 mg
Fiber:	8 g
Sugars:	45 g
Calculated per serving.

by Masala Paleo

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 cups Milk, Can substitute with nut milk
1 cup Heavy Cream (Whipping Cream), can sub with half and half or nutpods for dairy free
2 pinch Saffron
2 Tbsp Rose Water

Ingredients for Thandai Powder (Masala)

0.25 cup Almonds
1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds
1 Tbsp Watermelon Seeds, optional
2 Tbsp raw Pistachios
2 Tbsp Raw Cashews
3 whole Brazil Nuts, optional
4 whole Cardamom Pods (whole pods)
0.5 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Fennel Seed
0.25 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
5 whole Medjool Dates

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Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Soak the ingredients for Thandai powder except for the cardamom, saffron, and cinnamon
Grind all ingredients for Thandai powder together
Boil 4 cups of milk, add the saffron
Mix in the Thandai masala powder with a whisk. I like to add it to the hot milk as this gives it a better taste and let it boil for a few minutes, while stirring constantly.
Add 1 cup of cream which is completely optional. You can substitute this with milk, half and half if there is no cream at hand or with nutpods
Traditionally this drink is served chilled. But I love it warm depending on the weather. Right before serving add a couple of table spoons of rose water. Serve garnished with rose petals, saffron and pistachios.