Matcha Thandai: The Only Green High You Need This Holi

matcha, thandai, holi, matcha recipes, holi thandai, festival, indian festival

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!

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