Thandai which literally means “cold drink” in Hindi is a refreshing beverage that is usually made by North Indians for the festival of Holi. But I usually make the syrup and store it for the whole of summer and have it instead of tea or coffee. It is a wonderful blend of spices like cardamom, saffron, etc and the pepper corns lends it a spicy aftertaste as a surprise. Here’s how I make it.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Aniseed
- 1 tbsp Almonds
- 10-12 Peppercorns
- A few Saffron Strands
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp Dried watermelon seeds
- 1/2 tbsp Poppy seeds
Method:
- Soak aniseed, almonds, watermelon seeds, poppy seeds and rose petals in 2 cups of water.
- Grind soaked ingredients to make a smooth paste.
- Pour remaining water into this paste and strain through muslin strainer
- Extract the liquid into a vessel. Add the sugar, peppercorns, powdered cardamom, saffron and mix well
- Mix 1 part of the Thandai syrup and 3 portions of chilled, per-boiled milk and relish it.
Preparation time: ½ hour