Everyone is excited for holi, but few know why we celebrate it. The Indian festival celebrates love and the victory of good over evil. It’s a vibrant festival that marks the onset of spring.
Undoubtedly, one of the most treasured aspects of Holi is having traditional drinks- among which Thandai is quite sought after.
We wanted to spice things up a little and introduce our version of the drink to you.
What is Thandai?
Thandai is a traditional Indian beverage made with herbs, milk, and spices. It is a cool and refreshing beverage with unique and complex flavours.
The base ingredients in thandai are full-fat milk, sugar and spices such as cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds and poppy seeds.
Many a times nuts such as almonds, cashews and pistachios are also blended into the drink.
It can be garnished with rose petals and saffron strands.
It is a versatile drink and you can experiment with it to make as per your taste preferences.
To Make Matcha Thandai:
Ingredients
- 1 litre full fat milk
- 30 gm sugar (you can add or decrease the sugar as per taste)
- 30 gm almonds
- 30 gm cashew nuts
- 8 gm unsalted pistachio
- 5 gm poppy seeds
- 5 gm fennel seeds
- 4-5 peppercorns
- 2-3 green cardamoms
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1.5 tablespoon matcha
- 20 ml hot water
For garnish
- Dried rose petals
- Pinch of saffron
Preparation
- Blanch the almonds and soak them along with cashew nuts and pistachio for 6 hours.
- Add them to a blender with poppy seeds, fennel seeds, green cardamom and peppercorns.
- Blend all the ingredients into a coarse paste.
- Now add 1/2 cup milk and blend it further to make a smooth paste.
- Separately, boil 1 litre of full fat milk with sugar and keep aside.
- Whisk matcha in hot water until a smooth paste is formed and add it to the milk and sugar mixture.
- Add the nut and spice paste to the sweetened matcha milk and rest it overnight.
- Next morning strain the milk after giving it a good mix and add alcohol of your choice*.
- Your thandai is ready to be served.
- Garnish with rose petals, pistachio slivers and saffron.
*To make an alcoholic drink you can add 60-90 ml white spirit(gin, vodka, white rum) of your choice.
You should now be able to make your own delicious thandai at home. Whether you’re hosting a Holi party or just want something special to sip on while you celebrate, this recipe of homemade matcha thandai won’t disappoint!
