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Super Refreshing Thandai on notjustspice.com

Super Refreshing Thandai

Sweet, chill, rich, and aromatic, this super refreshing thandai fills your senses like the mountains in springtime. It glides down your tongue, this intoxicating drink, soothing your throat with rose and saffron. It also fills you up, thanks to the melon seeds, poppy seeds, almonds and cashews. You can’t ask for anything more invigorating — it’ll take away your aches, tiredness and thirst!

Cuisine Indian
Cook Time 4 hours 13 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 litre fresh milk (4 and 1/4 cups) use almond milk or a mix of almond milk and cashew milk for a dairy-free option
  • 3 tablespoons watermelon or muskmelon seeds, or a mix
  • 2 tablespoons finely cut blanched almonds
  • 2 tablespoons finely cut cashew nuts
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons white poppy seeds soaked in a cup of water for 15 minutes and simmered for 15 minutes
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons black pepper corns
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon saffron, or a large pinch of it
  • 1 teaspoon rose essence, or rose petals, or rose syrup
  • 5-6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped pistachio nuts skinned and unsalted

Instructions

  1. Take a cup of milk (about 225 ml) in a blender and add to it all the ingredients (including the poppy seeds in the water), except the pistachio nuts, and blend to make a fine(ish) paste. Pulse in short bursts so the nuts don't get hot. 

  2. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

  3. Strain it over a seive lined with muslin or cheesecloth.

  4. Add the rest of the milk to the strained milk. Add more sugar if you wish.

  5. Chill for 4 hours, so the flavours are well blended.

  6. Garnish with the pistachio nuts. You could also add a few strands of saffron and rose petals if you want.