Recipe of thandai from homemade thandai masala powder is the best summer cooler and super energizer drink with nuts and seeds.
Thanadai also known as Shardai is a drink famous in North of India, and its ingredients are nuts and seeds packed with nutrients. Its popular during Festivals of Holi and Shivratri. Join me to make this summer coolant.
Thandai Ingredients
- Milk : You can use dairy or any other non- dairy alternative. Almond milk is a best choice for thandai if you are going for non-dairy option.
- Thandai Powder : Mixture of nuts and spices. I have shared a detailed homemade thandai powder recipe
- Rose Petals: Adding rose essence gives a nice flavour to thandai however its optional and can be used to make a gulab thandai. Either way you can garnish with rose petals.
- Saffron: optional
- Sugar : you can swap it with any edible options or fruit base to make your own flavours of thandai.
Excite your guest with this quick dessert for Basundi together with thadai
Benefits of thandai
Thandai is one of the best body cooler to have in sunny summers and its nutty ingredients acts as a good energizer to keep you going.
Similarly, addition of pepper to this drink is due to its enhancing benefit of the ingredients, a special property as in Ayurveda. However, pepper also helps in easy digestion.
Thandai mix
Here, I have share a two variations of making thandai.
Thandai masala
Dry thandai powder for a long term storage, so that you can enjoy it throughout the summer. In addition to that, you can use this powder to get creative with any quick whip like, thandai cake.
Thandai syrup recipe
This can be used for making instant thandai drink with limited storage time.
Step by step instructions for making thandai Powder
For thandai Masala (powder) recipe,
1. Start by dry roasting all the ingredients (Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Cardamom, Melon seeds, Fennel, Pepper, Poppy seeds) Separately, ensuring one at a time. This helps in even roasting of all ingredients
2. Allow them to cool completely.
3. In a blender, Grind the spices and seeds (Fennel seeds, Pepper, cardamom ,Poppy and melon seeds) together for making thandai masala
4. After that, grind together, all the other ingredients. Store them in an airtight bottle.
You can store this Thandai masala more than a month
Thandai syrup recipe
For thandai syrup recipe,
1. Begin with soaking all the ingredients (Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Cardamom, Melon seeds, Fennel, Pepper, Poppy seeds) for 2-4 hours. drain the water so you can use it for making syrup.
2. Grind them all together with little water into a fine paste
3. In a saucepan, add drained water, sugar, saffron and heat, till the sugar melts and becomes 1/4th of the total amount
4. To this saffron water, add the ground masala and heat for 3 minutes.
5. Allow it to cool down completely and store them in airtight container inside refrigerator.
Use this thandai masala syrup within fifteen days
How to make Thandai
It’s always best to use thandai mix in a 2:2 ratio. If you are using a 2 cup milk then use 2tbsp thandai powder or thandai syrup.
Using Thandai Masala
- heat milk, add saffron and thandai powder to it. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Once it cools down, keep them in refrigerator and Serve them chilled, with rose petal garnishing.
Using Thandai Syrup
- Firstly, heat milk and add thandai syrup to it. once it cools down, store it in refrigeraor and serve chilled.
- If you are using Pasteurised milk you can add thandai syrup mix directly to the cold milk, garnish with rose petals and serve immediately.
Thandai is best when served cold.
Variations to regular thandai
- Add your thandai mix to any fruit shakes to enjoy it with full nutritional benefit and fruity twist. In that case, reduce the amount of sugar added to thandai mix.
- Use Gulkand or rose syrup to enjoy rose thandai.
- To make Kesar badam thandai, increase the almond amount to an extra 4tbsp and saffron to extra 1/4tsp in this recipe. Also skip cashews and pistachios.
Authentic Thandai recipe
Thandai drink has a long history dated back as an offering to Hindu Lords. I found this exciting old traditions while exploring about bhang thandai , a special version of this drink.
Is thandai halal
‘So, Cannabis! is that even halal?’
I got you, bhang thandai is not halal. As they are prepared from leaves, and buds of cannabis plant and are intoxicated.
You can enjoy delicious thandai drink without bhang for its cooling properties.
Recipe of Thandai
Ingredients
- 5 Cup Milk
For Syrup
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Saffron
- 1 cup Water
Ingredients for Dry roasting
- ¼ Cup Almonds
- 2 tbsp Cashews
- 2 tbsp Pistachios
- ½ tbsp Cardamom
- 2 tbsp Melon seeds
- 20 Peppercorns I used combination of 10 black and 10 white
- 2 tbsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
Instructions
Thandai Powder
- Dry roast all the ingredients under the list for dry roasting, one at a time, separately. Allow them to cool down completely.
- Grind them together in a blender to a fine powder. Store them in an airtight container in refrigerator.
- To make thandai, heat milk in a pan, add saffron and thandai powder to it. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes. Garnish with rose petals.
- Cool down the thandai mix, in refrigerator before serving. you can also add ice cubes to thandai.
Thandai Syrup
- Soak all the ingredients under dry roasting list in 1 cup water for maximum of 2 to 4 hours.
- Drain the water and grind all the soaked ingredients together by adding little water.
- In a saucepan, add the drained water, saffron and sugar. Let the sugar dissolve and get reduced by half .
- To the sugar solution add the ground mix and steep for 2- 3 minutes in low heat.
- Once cooled down, store in an airtight container inside the refrigerator. use this syrup within 15 days.
How to make Thandai
- Add thandai syrup to cold milk, add ice cubes and garnish with rose petals.
- You can also add this mix to milk while boiling and cool them before serving.
Notes
- Thandai is best when served cooled.
- Add rose syrup or fruit juices to thandai, to give it a fruity twist.
- Increase almonds to 4tbsp (extra), Saffron to plus 1/4 tsp, skip pistachios and cashews in the same recipe to make Kesar badam thandai.
- To enjoy the all the benefits of ingredients, it is recommend to add the thandai mix to boiling milk.
