In this post, I am sharing thandai recipe made with instant homemade thandai masala powder. Our Holi celebration is incomplete without Thandai. With its creamy texture and aromatic taste, it such a crowd pleaser drink. In weeks leading to Holi, I make a large batch of thandai masala to last us for a while. Not just for making thandai, thandai powder is amazing in dessert recipes such as thandai spiced nankhatai and rose thandai cheesecake bars or thandai tiramisu.
What Is Thandai
In Hindi, the word thanda means something cool or cold and it forms the root word for thandak or thandai. Thandai means “cooling”. It is a luxirous traditional drink made using milk, cooling spices and nuts. Thandai is also known as Sardai in few states of India and is considered to have a cooling effect on our body. Traditional thandai is made with a wet paste of nuts and seeds which are ground with milk on water on sil batta (a large tabletop grinding stone extremely popular in indian kitchens). This drink is extremely popular during Holi and traditionally bhaang (cannabis) paste is mixed with it during celebrations. Holi is time for fun and frolic and the spiked drink definitely adds to the merriment. In my recipe I don’t use bhaang, however if you live where you can easily find it, go for it 🙂
How To Make Thandai Masala
A well made thandai masala is the soul of delicious thandai. Take your time to select the freshest nuts and seeds. Source good quality green cardamom, saffron and rose because not just the taste, the aroma is a huge part of drinking thandai.
I always buy fresh nuts and spices. You may be having nuts lying around in the fridge for 3 months. But, for thandai masala,I recommend purchasing fresh nuts since a variety of nuts go in, if one kind of nut is old, smelly or bitter in taste, the entire batch is spoiled. Wash the grinder jar nicely with warm warm and soap and completely dry before grinding. Even if you have a dedicated spice jar, you dont want your masala to smell of cumin that you grinded last week, right? Make sure that the blender jar is free of aroma of any other spice.
Ingredients Needed for Thandai Masala
Nuts - Almonds, cashews and pistachios. You can add a few pieces of walnuts if you wish. My grandmother used almonds and cashews only. Almonds give it the signature wonderful taste and the cashews add the creaminess. I add pistachios to mine because I love their taste with rose and saffron. Melon Seeds- Traditionally char magaz or melon seeds are used and I do the same. You can easily buy them from indian stores and they last for 6-8 months in the freezer. Substitue with for un roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. White poppy seeds (khus-khus or Khas-Kash) are the second seed that go in. White poppy seeds are mellow and creamy in taste.It is not unusual if you cannot find white poppy seeds(they are restricted in many countries due to opium categorization), simply skip. Spices & Aromatics - Whole Black Pepper, green cardamom and fennel seeds are a must when it comes to spices. I use edible rose petals too. Saffron Strands. Dont go overboard saffron. Thandai has a mellow saffron flavor and pale yellow color unless you are making kesar thandai.
Note - You can customize the flavors and spices as per your liking. Add or take away any spices you don’t prefer. If there are kids at home, you can reduce the quantity of black peppercorns for a milder masala. You could make a wet thandai masala or a dry powder. I like making the latter since it has a long shelf life.
Wet & Instant Thandai Masala
To Make Instant Thandai Masala Powder, simple add all the nuts, seed and paste to a grinder and grind for a minute. Stop and scrape the side. Once the nuts have broken down, just pulse several times. Make a fine powder until pulsing & stopping to make sure that nits do not release too much oil and turn pasty. Store in an airtight container for several weeks. To Make Wet Thandai Paste :- Soak the nuts, spices and seeds for 10 minutes in warm water. Drain and discard the water. Add everything to a blender, add splash of milk as needed and blend into a thick fine paste. Store refrigerated since wet thandai masala has a shorter shelf life.
Thandai Ingredients
Whole Milk - You can use half or half as well. Or use Milk + Evaporated Milk. The creamier the milk, the better tasting the thandai will be. Thandai Powder or Paste - As noted above
Steps of Making Thandai
Warm up Milk:- In a large, heavy bottom pot, bring milk to a slow boil. Keep stirring the milk every now and then. Simmer Milk with Sugar & Thandai Powder- Once milk is simmering, add the spice powder and sugar. Mix well and let the milk simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat. You can stir the milk while it simmers.
Let Steep :-Take off the stove and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Once little cooled, mix in the rose water and saffron. Let the flavors steep in milk for about 1.5 hours. Cover the pot and let stand on kitchen counter. Straining the Thandai (Optional) - My mom doesn’t like to strain and she serves the thandai as it is. However, I like to strain it since my husband finds the taste a bit gritty. Refrigerate - Refrigerate the thandai for a few hours or overnight for best flavor. Serve chilled. Garnish as you wish.
How To Serve & Store
Serving - Serve chilled Thandai garnished with silvered nuts, rise petals and few strands of saffron. You can add some ice cubes if you wish. Serve with gujiya for perfect Holi grub!! Storing Thandai Masala - Store in air tight container for 6-8 weeks. Store it refrigerated to avoid the nuts from getting smelly. Always use a dry clean spoon to use it. Wet masala can be stored for 3-5 days refrigerated before it changes taste. Storing Thandai - It is a perfect make ahead drink. You can make it 2-3 days in advance and keep refrigerated. Trust me the flavors get better and better.
Spiked Thandai (Bhang Thandai)
Growing up, there used to be bhaang thandai for adults but we kids were given a chilled glass on its own. Sometimes mom would add malai (cream) on top.Bhaang is made by grinding the buds and leaves of cannabis plant. During Holi bhaang paste is added to make bhaang thandai. I have never added bhaang but my husband loves to spike thandai with vodka or mix in few shots of tequila and its quite amazing! Give it a try.
More Variations
Mango Thandai- Add some mango puree for a mango flavor. Rose Thandai- Add edible rose syrup (like Rooh afza).This gives a lovely pink color to thandai. Caramel Thandai - Sweeten thandai with caramel sauce. Vegan Thandai - Use any nut based mylk like Cashew or Almond milk for vegan version.Use Maple syrup to sweeten if you wish. Serve thandai with few spoons of rabdi on top for a decadent taste.
Recipe Tips
Add rose water and bloomed saffron after the thandai has cooled down a bit. Allow thandai to steep for a few hours (overnight is best) for best flavor. You can also use thandai masala to flavor pancake batter, smoothies or oatmeal for a flavor boost.
