Think Holi, Think gujiyas, malpuas, jalebis, kachoris and some thandai. It is quite a tasteful day when you are covered in colour and savour the taste of all these delicacies with your loved ones. You would find a variety of sweet meats being gorged on the Holi platters, right from gujiyas which are quintessential to Holi, to deep-fried jalebis and sweet malpuas. After being exhausted in the sun for hours altogether and coming back home drenched in water and colour, a refreshing drink is the need of the hour. And when it’s Holi, it is unfair to leave without a glass of thandai.
Thandai, for those untouched by the phenomenon, is a significant part of Holi celebrations. The combination of milk, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, rose water and nuts seems to be like the ideal choice on this day. Did you know that thandai is also associated with Mahashivratri, a day to worship Lord Shiva? This drink is often confused with bhang but that is not the case. This Holi, popular baker and the youngest Masterchef winner, Kirti Bhoutika shared a thandai story on her Instagram handle and we are intrigued. Take a look.
Source: Screengrab of Instagram Stories/Kirti Bhoutika She posted a short video of the making of thandai. While we see it being stirred in a utensil, the caption reveals an interesting addition the thandai. She says, “I tasted thandai with ice cream and I’m blown”. The white chunks that you see in the pool of yellow liquid is actually ice cream, can you believe it? In the video, the ice cream lumps are pressed continuously so that they blend with the thandai really well and no lumps are remaining. This unusual combination made us wonder how would it taste. If you would like to know it too, here is a recipe of a thandai smoothie that involves ice cream. Whole fat, full-cream milk is used for making this concoction. The freshly-churned curd is mixed with the milk in a blender and the thandai syrup is added to it for flavour. Next, scoops of vanilla ice cream are added to the blender jar and ice cubes are popped in too. Finally, the mixture is blended together to form a smooth paste. This is then served with a garnish of crushed and powdered almonds on the top of the thandai glasses.
