Holi, the festival of color, is incomplete without powdered color called “gulal”, water balloons, and water jets called “pichkaris”, exotic sweet dishes, Bollywood party songs and of course, thandai.


It is a cold and sweet drink which consists of watermelon seeds, fennel seeds, vetiver seeds, pepper, Rose petals, saffron, cardamom, sugar and milk.

Whether you are chilling with your family after a playful morning of Holi or welcoming guests, this could be a great beverage to serve!

Recipes

  1. Ingredients:
  • 1 and a 1/2 liter water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 and a ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. watermelon seeds
  • 1 tbsp. almonds
  • ½ tbsp. poppy seeds
  • ½ tsp. cardamom powder
  • ½ tbsp. aniseeds
  • ½ tsp. Rose water (optional)
  • 1/4 cups fresh or dried Rose petals
  • 1 tsp. whole peppercorns

Method:
Soak the sugar in water and keep it aside. Soak the other dry ingredients in remaining water and set aside. Allow them to soak for 2 hours at least. Grind these dry ingredients into a paste. When the paste is fine enough, add water to it. Put a muslin strainer on top of a deep and large container and strain the paste through it. Pour the remaining water little by little for extracting more. Pour back some extract, press and repress. Repeat this till the residue is completely dry. Add sugar, rose water and milk to the extract and if cardamom powder is used mix it with milk before adding it. Mix the liquid well and leave it in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving it.

  1. Ingredients:
  • 2 tsp. aniseed
  • 15 almonds
  • 8 cardamom pods
  • 2 tsp. poppy seeds
  • 2 tsp. peppercorns
  • 12 tsp. sugar
  • 2 tsp. cumin seeds
  • 400 ml milk
  • 300 ml water
  • 4 tsp. crushed ice

Method:
Grind the almonds. Grind the other dry ingredients. Mix them in a big bowl. Add milk and water and mix thoroughly. Strain it through cheesecloth until a completely smooth liquid is obtained in the bowl. Refrigerate it for at least an hour and serve cold.

  1. Ingredients:
  • 1 and a ½ liter milk
  • 250 grams condensed milk
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 10 almonds, soaked in water overnight and peeled
  • 4 crushed cardamoms
  • 1 tsp. poppy seeds
  • 2 tsp. fennel seeds
  • Crushed ice

Method:
Grind the peeled almonds, fennel seeds and cardamoms into a fine paste and mix it nicely with the rest of the ingredients. Strain the mixture until a completely smooth liquid is obtained. Half fill a glass with crushed ice and then pour the above liquid. Garnish it with rose petals.

  1. Ingredients:
  • Pistachios
  • Milk
  • Almonds
  • Sugar
  • Walnuts
  • Bhang

Method:
Grind all the dry ingredients into a fine powder and put it in a coarse piece of cloth. Heat up sugar and milk slowly by holding the piece of cloth containing the powdered ingredients in the milk. Squeeze out the excess milk from the ingredients in the cloth every now and then. Once the ingredients from the cloth get mixed into the milk in proper amount, stop heating. Cool it down and refrigerate, garnish with rose petals and serve cold.