Name: Holi Special Vegan Thandai | No Refined sugar
Ingredients: 1000 ml + 120ml (4½ cups) creamy Coconut milk; 20 pieces Almonds; 15 pieces Pistachios (or substitute with 5-6 almonds); 10 pieces Cashews (or substitute with 10 almonds); 90-105 ml (6-7 tbsp, to taste) VGN NECTAR Date Syrup; 4-10 pieces (to taste) Black pepper; 22 g (1 1/2 tbsp) Melon seeds (magaz); 12 pods Green cardamoms; 13 g (1 1/2 tbsp) Fennel seeds; 13 g (1 1/2 tbsp) Poppy seeds; 1 pinch (optional) Saffron; 2.5 cm piece (1 inch) Cinnamon; 1 g (1/2 tsp) Nutmeg powder; 2 tbsp (for garnish) Sliced nuts; 6-12 pieces (optional) Ice cubes; 26 pieces Rose petals (for making gulkand and for garnish); 45 ml (3 tbsp, for gulkand) VGN NECTAR Date Syrup; 100 ml Water (use only 1-2 tbsp for cooking)

Ingredients

1000 ml + 120ml (4½ cups) creamy Coconut milk
20 pieces Almonds
15 pieces Pistachios (or substitute with 5-6 almonds)
10 pieces Cashews (or substitute with 10 almonds)
90-105 ml (6-7 tbsp, to taste) VGN NECTAR Date Syrup
4-10 pieces (to taste) Black pepper
22 g (1 1/2 tbsp) Melon seeds (magaz)
12 pods Green cardamoms
13 g (1 1/2 tbsp) Fennel seeds
13 g (1 1/2 tbsp) Poppy seeds
1 pinch (optional) Saffron
2.5 cm piece (1 inch) Cinnamon
1 g (1/2 tsp) Nutmeg powder
2 tbsp (for garnish) Sliced nuts
6-12 pieces (optional) Ice cubes
26 pieces Rose petals (for making gulkand and for garnish)
45 ml (3 tbsp, for gulkand) VGN NECTAR Date Syrup
100 ml Water (use only 1-2 tbsp for cooking)

Steps

Soak the almonds, cashews and pistachios in water for 4 hours, or use hot water for 1 hour. Soak the melon seeds and poppy seeds separately.
Peel the almonds. The blending mixture uses all the soaked nuts and seeds with fennel, cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper.
Blend that mixture with the rose petals and saffron into a coarse paste. Add 3 tbsp coconut milk and blend until smooth.
Bring 1L creamy coconut milk to a gentle boil. Add the paste, mix it in and turn off the heat.
After stirring in VGN NECTAR Date Syrup and nutmeg powder, refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight to give the flavors more depth and richness.
In each glass, put 1–1½ tsp of the prepared gulkand.
After pouring in the chilled thandai, stir and garnish with nuts and ice cubes.
Enjoy the thandai, and have a happy Holi!
For gulkand: 1️⃣ Start with the petals in a pan, using just 1–2 tbsp water and avoiding excess water. 2️⃣ With the flame very low, cook until the petals have softened, 3–5 mins. 3️⃣ Allow the mixture to cool a little. 4️⃣ Cook again over low heat after adding VGN NECTAR Date Syrup, until the mixture is thick and glossy. 5️⃣ Keep it cooking until the moisture has evaporated and it has a jam consistency. 6️⃣ Store in a clean glass jar after cooling completely. Too much remaining water can cause faster spoilage, so cook to a properly thick consistency.