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Holi is a vibrant festival of colours celebrated in India. The streets become canvases of colour as people smear gulal (the red colour of roses) on each other's faces. The colours of Holi represent the many hues of life and human nature.
Thandai is a traditional cold drink synonymous with the festival of Holi. It is a creamy, milk-based beverage blended with spices and rose syrup. Thandai is best enjoyed during Holi festivities, when the chilled drink provides a refreshing respite from the riot of colours and the summer's heat. The sweet, creamy and spiced flavour of thandai perfectly complements the cheerful spirit of the festival.
Image credit: Freepik
Drinking thandai also has its own benefits. Milk gives you the protein and calcium you need to build strong bones and muscles. Spices like cardamom and saffron protect your cells like superheroes. The nuts have fibre to keep your digestive health in check. Fennel seeds calm angry tummies and bloating. Rose petals use their cooling magic to keep your insides happy. Poppy seeds help with the digestion of food with just one cup of thandai. Almost all the ingredients work together to reduce inflammation, prevent constipation, and stop gas.
Here are six delicious thandais to try this holi:
Rose Thandai
Add the thandai powder, pour some rose syrup into a blender. Next, add milk to the blender. Now blend everything together until nice and smooth. This should take about 2–3 minutes. Pour in the tasty thandai and top it off with some pretty dried rose petals or buds.
Image credit: Freepik
Guava Thandai
Grab a glass jar and pour in the tasty thandai mix. Add some cold milk and a whole carton of guava juice. Drop in a few ice cubes and stir it all up. Now chill it in the fridge before drinking. Enjoy your refreshing thandai!
Mango Thandai
Soak all the ingredients of thandai overnight: almonds, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, and rose petals. Peel the almond skin and grind all the ingredients into a fine paste. Now blend milk with sugar, pepper, and cardamom powder. Add the mango puree, blended milk, and the fine paste, and blend the whole mixture again. Mango Thandai is ready. Serve chilled.
Almond Milk Thandai
Celebrating Holi with your gang. You will need to keep your energy high for all the holi celebrations. This almond milk thandai will not only enhance the energy but is also very refreshing. Gather the thandai powder and almond milk. Add both to a jar and add sugar. Blend the mixture and serve it with almond flakes and strands of saffron
Image credit: Freepik.
Soymilk Thandai
On a diet? Try this soymilk thandai this holi. In a pan, add soymilk and thandai powder. Let the mixture come to a boil, turn the stove off and let it cool down. Chill the mixture in the fridge before serving, and garnish with some chopped dry fruits.
Tea Thandai
Got a craving for chai? Try this tasty tea thandai recipe. It's an icy twist on the classic milk drink, with a tea twist. Don't worry, it won't taste like your usual milky tea. This thandai is infused with tea flavour but has a unique taste. Simply boil milk with tea leaves, cardamom and dry fruits. Then let it cool and add in some thandai powder. The perfect summer drink awaits! Sip away and beat the heat.
Thandai Powder Recipe
Ingredients
- 50 g almonds
- 50 g cashew
- 50 g of pistachio
- 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
- 2-3 tablespoons of cucumber seeds
- 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup of rose petals
- 10-15 Cardamom
- 2 pinches of saffron
- 10 Peppercorns
Image credit: Freepik
Method:
- Roast the almonds, cashews and pistachios in a pan until lightly browned.
- Now put the cooled nuts into a food processor along with the other ingredients.
- Pulse the food processor 10-15 times until the mixture becomes a fine powder. Be careful not to overprocess, or the nuts will get oily.
- When the nut powder has cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge.
