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

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 cups4 cups 4 cupsMilk, Can substitute with nut milk
1 cup1 cup 1 cupHeavy Cream (Whipping Cream), can sub with half and half or nutpods for dairy free
2 pinch2 pinch 2 pinchSaffron
2 Tbsp2 Tbsp 2 TbspRose Water

Ingredients for Thandai Powder (Masala)

0.25 cup0.25 cup 0.25 cupAlmonds
1 Tbsp1 Tbsp 1 TbspPoppy Seeds
1 Tbsp1 Tbsp 1 TbspWatermelon Seeds, optional
2 Tbsp2 Tbsp 2 Tbspraw Pistachios
2 Tbsp2 Tbsp 2 TbspRaw Cashews
3 whole3 whole 3 wholeBrazil Nuts, optional
4 whole4 whole 4 wholeCardamom Pods (whole pods)
0.5 tsp0.5 tsp 0.5 tspground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp1 Tbsp 1 TbspFennel Seed
0.25 tsp0.25 tsp 0.25 tspWhole Black Peppercorns
5 whole5 whole 5 wholeMedjool 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.