Sweet, nutty, and spicy Thandai is a chilled Indian drink recipe made with homemade Thandai powder. It's mainly served during the Holi festival.
It's a crowd favorite and can be made ahead of time and in less than 30 minutes! Thandai also known as Sardai is a North Indian traditional, festive drink made with whole milk and a special Thandai masala that's prepared with nuts and whole spices.
All the spices used to make this drink help in digestion and boost immunity. Thandai comes from the Hindi word 'Thanda' which means cold.
Ingredients
To Make the Thandai Powder
10 cashews
10 almonds
7 pistachios
15 peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp pumpkin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp saffron
2 tbsp dried rose petals
To make Thandai Milkshake
1 tsp saffron
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
3 tbsp thandai powder
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp dried rose petals
2 tbsp chopped pistachios
Method
To Make the Thandai Masala
- Arrange all the spices and nuts that you will need in their exact proportions, on a plate.
- Transfer them all to the blender and grind them to a powder consistency. Store this Thandai powder in an airtight container.
To make Thandai Milkshake- Add 4 tablespoons of milk to a small bowl and warm it up in the microwave. Soak saffron in it for 10 minutes. This is called blooming the saffron.
- To a thick bottomed pan, add milk and heavy cream.
- Then add Thandai masala and sugar. Cook over a medium flame and bring to a boil. Simmer the milk mixture for 12-15 minutes.
- Take it off the flame and add the saffron milk along with rose water and dried rose petals. Mix it all together.
- Cover and let it steep for an hour on the kitchen counter.
- Strain the mixture if you prefer thandai to be clear of all the small particles.
- Then chill this drink in the refrigerator till it's time to serve. Pour in serving glasses, garnish it with saffron and sliced almonds. Serve.