Thandai is a festive North Indian beverage prepared with a homemade Thandai powder or paste made from nuts, seeds and whole spices. The mixture is blended with milk and lightly sweetened to make a rich, cooling drink. It can be served during Holi, summer gatherings or as a refreshing spiced milk drink anytime.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 90 minutes
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: 90 minutes
  • Yield: 8 · 8 glasses
  • Category: Beverages
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 3 tablespoons almonds (- 30 grams, rinsed)
  • 2 heaped tablespoons pistachios (- 20 grams, unsalted and rinsed)
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds (white, (khus khus))
  • ¼ cup melon seeds (- 30 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons rose petals (- dried or fresh or swap with 2 tablespoons rose water or 2 tablespoons gulkand (rose preserve))
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • ½ teaspoon whole black pepper
  • 3 to 4 green cardamoms (- husks removed and seeds kept)
  • 15 to 18 saffron strands (- optional)
  • ½ cup sugar (- 100 grams)
  • 8 cups milk (- cold or chilled, add as needed)
  • ice cubes (- as required, optional)
  • few rose petals (or chopped almonds or pistachios for garnish)

Method

Soaking nuts and seeds

  1. In a bowl, pour 1 cup warm water.
  2. Then add almonds, pistachios, poppy seeds (khus khus), melon seeds, dried rose petals, fennel seeds and black pepper.
  3. Mix very well. Cover and keep aside for minimum one hour or two hours. If you use water at room temperature, then you can also keep overnight or for 4 to 5 hours in the fridge.

Making thandai paste

  1. After 1 to 2 hours, pour the whole mixture including the soaking water in a grinder or blender jar. Do make sure to use a high-speed grinder or blender.
  2. Add ½ cup sugar, seeds from 3 to 4 green cardamoms and the saffron strands.
  3. Blend the mixture to a very smooth and fine paste. Remove in a bowl and keep aside. You can cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Making thandai recipe

  1. To prepare thandai, take about 4 tablespoons of the thandai paste in a glass. You can add less or more thandai paste as needed.
  2. Add chilled milk. You can also use half-half combination of milk and water.
  3. Mix very well. Check the taste and add more sugar if needed.
  4. Add a few ice cubes if you like.
  5. Garnish with rose petals. You can also garnish with some chopped almonds or pistachios.
  6. Serve thandai immediately. Alternatively, you can prepare the thandai drink in a large mug or jug. Refrigerate and then serve.

Storage

  1. For make ahead, store the thandai paste in the refrigerator and it keeps well for a week.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.