Thandai

How to prepare Thandai at home | Thandai - Holi And Mahashivratri Special Traditional Refreshing Almonds Spiced Milk based Saffron Flavored Healthy Indian Summer Drink | Recipe of Homemade Sardai

Thandai is one of the most favorite drink of lord Shiva. Thandai is also known as Sardai. Thandai is traditionally associated with festivals like Mahashivratri and Holi. This beverage is super cool and very delicious and works great, when the temperature soar.

Thandai is a refreshing, fresh, creamy, milk based, flavored and spiced healthy Indian Summer Drink. It is flavored with saffron, green cardamoms, dry fruits, rose petals, fennel, black peppercorns, khus khus (white poppy seeds) and **charmagaz. 

**Char Magaz is a combination of four seeds and nuts i.e. Almonds, Pumpkin seeds, Cantaloupe Seeds and Water melon seeds. Char means four, and Magaz means intelligence. This is believed that consumption of this combination result in brain development and rejuvenation.

☀RECIPE DETAILS:

• Prep Time: 15-20 min
• Soak Time : 4-5 hours
• Cook Time: 10-15 min
• Category: Vegetarian 
• Course: Beverage
• Cuisine: Indian (North India)
• Technique: grinding, boiling 
• Difficulty: Easy 
• Serving: 2

☀INGREDIENTS REQUIRED FOR THANDAI

• 200ml Milk
• 5tbsp Condensed Milk or
• 4tbsp Sugar
• 10-12 Almonds
• 5-6 Pistachios
• 2tbsp Dried Rose petals 
• 1tbsp Poppy Seeds (Khus khus)
• 1tbsp char magaz (melon seeds)
• 3 Green Cardamom 
• 3tsp Funnel seeds (Saunf)
• 10 no. Pepper Corns
• few drops - Rose essence 

☀For Garnish

• Saffron 
• Dried Rose petals 

METHOD

☀Step 1. SOAKING 

◾Soak following ingredients : Almonds, Pistachios and few rose petals in warm water for 2 hours. Keep it aside until needed.

☀Step 2. DRY GRINDING, MAKE IT POWDERED AND THEN  SOAK

◾Dry grind following ingredients in very fine and powdered form, i.e. Funnel seeds, green cardamoms, melon seeds, poppy seeds and a few rose petals. Keep it aside until needed.

◾Soak them in ½ cup water for 2 hours.

☀Step 3. BOIL MILK ADD SOAKED POWERED INGREDIENTS IN MILK 

◾Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Add condensed milk and mix well. When the milk begins to boil. Switch off the gas stove. Add a few drops of rose essence and mix well. 

◾Let the milk cool down, then add the powdered ingredients in milk and soak it for 2 hours. (Refer and use fine paste prepared in step 2 for this)

☀Step 4. STRAIN 

◾Strain the milk mixture through a sieve and discard the residue. (Mixture which is prepared in step no.3)

☀Step 5. PEEL THE ALMONDS AND PISTACHIOS AND GRIND

◾Peel the skin of almonds. Grind the soaked Almonds, few rose petals, 2tbsp milk and pistachios to a fine paste. Keep it aside until needed.

☀Step 6. MIX ALMONDS AND PISTACHIOS PASTE IN STRAINED MIXTURE 

◾Take strained milk, add almonds, rose petals, Pistachios paste. Your Thandai is ready. Refrigerate it for 2-3 Hours.

☀7. GARNISH AND SERVE

◾Half fill each glass with broken down ice cubes and top up with the Thandai. Garnish with Saffron, Pistachios and rose petals. Serve it chilled.

Notes:

1.This Thandai recipe is made with the aim to avoid dry fruit waste as in this recipe only those ingredients are strained which are required to be strained.

2. Char magaz or melon seeds can be skipped, if not easily available to you.

3. As Thandai is super cool drink, and perhaps not suitable for elderly people, thus to reduce the cooling effect of this drink add quantity of poppy and fennel seeds moderately.