Holi Recipe- Thandai To Make Holi Fun

Thandai in Hindi literally means a coolant. It is a milk based drink that is perfect for summers. It is associated with spring festivals of India – Shivratri and Holi. When winter starts to give way to hot weather, this drink cools down the body. Nowadays thandai syrup and powder are easily available in market. But the problem with these is that many of them do not taste good as they use artificial flavorings.

Goodness of thandai lies in the healthy ingredients that are used in it. This is the reason I decided to make concentrated thandai syrup. It does not require too much of effort. We can make syrup in bulk and store it in bottles. Whenever we want to drink thandai, just add chilled milk to a small amount of syrup, and thandai will be ready. So here I am sharing thandai recipe with you.

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond kernels soaked overnight, and skin removed
1 tablespoon pistachio soaked overnight and skin removed
1 tablespoon cashew nuts soaked overnight
1/2 cup melon seeds soaked overnight
1/2 cup poppy seeds soaked overnight
2 pinch saffron strands
1/2 cup fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tablespoon white/black pepper corns
35 green cardamoms seeds only
5 cups sugar
3 cups plain water
4 tablespoons rose water

Method

* First of all in a large vessel, add water to sugar and keep it on medium flame in order to make sugar syrup.

* Meanwhile, take all the dry ingredients - fennel seeds, black pepper corns, cardamom seeds, and saffron, and grind them to powder in a grinder.

* To this powder now add soaked almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts, melon seeds, and poppy seeds. Add about a cup of sugar syrup (or as required to help in grinding) and grind everything to a smooth paste.

* When the sugar has dissolved and syrup starts simmering, add this paste to the syrup. Allow it to simmer for few minutes.

* Remove from gas. Pass this solutipn through a seive to get smooth syrup. Add rose water and a pinch of saffron strand (optional). Mix well and allow the syrup to cool down. Once cold, fill it in clean glass bottle. Close the lid tightly. This syrup remains good for about four months and maybe more, in refrigerator.

* Pour a small amount of syrup in a glass (less than a quarter of the glass). Add chilled milk to it. Stir it.
* Decorate with pistachio slivers, saffron strands, and rose petals (optional). Serve chilled.