Relish refreshing thandai, with a twist!
What’s Holi without some good old thandai! A festive favourite, this beverage has, however, evolved vastly in taste and variety
What’s Holi without some good old thandai! A festive favourite, this beverage has, however, evolved vastly in taste and variety. “There are various flavours such as peda thandai, green apple thandai, pineapple thandai, ice cream thandai and coconut thandai, one of the most popular,” says chef Nishant Choubey. If you wish to revel in the flavour of the season, here are some recipes you can try.
Barley Thandai
Ingredients
1/2cup almonds
1/2cup cashewnuts
1/2cup unsalted pistachios
25 black peppercorns
10 cardamom pods
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp fennel seeds
25 to 30 saffron strands
4 tbsp rose petals
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1/4 cup soaked and boiled pearl barley
Method
Add all the said above ingredients into a blender and ground to a coarse powder. Mix 2 tbsp of this
powder in a glass of chilled milk.
Add honey to your taste and Blend it. Garnish it with rose petals and saffron strands
Add your boiled barley to the made thandai
By culinary expert and food stylist, Vindhya Karwa
Thandai Icecream
Ingredients
One tub (500 ml) of Pure Vanilla with assorted nuts and black raisins
2 cups milk
¼ cup Cashewnuts
¼ cup Almonds
½ tablespoon Cardamom Powder
10-15 Peppercorns
2 tablespoons Melon Seeds
2 tablespoons Fennel Seeds
1 small bowl Dry Rose Petals
1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
½ tablespoon Saffron strands
Process
1. Make a smooth thandai powder by grinding together all the nuts, spices and seeds.
2. Keep ice Cream at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
3. Take a pan, add 2 cups milk with soaked saffron and thandai powder. Boil for 5-7 minutes. Let it cool.
4. Mix this paste well with ice Cream and freeze it for 7-8 hours.
5. Scoop and serve with toppings of dry rose petals.
By chef Prerna Puri
Kesariya Thandai
Ingredients:
Whisky – 60ml
Saffron honey - 20 ml
Crushed almond - 1 spoon
Thandai - 20 ml
Pistachio milk - 90ml
Garnish- Fig
Method:
1. Add all the ingredients together and stir it well.
2. Top it up with crushed ice.
3. Garnish with Fig.
By Akhilesh Sheoran, Bar Manager, Saga, Gurgaon
Coco-Cold Panna Cotta
Serves: 12
For Paste:
•3 tablespoons pistachios
•3 tablespoon melon seeds (magaz)
•2 tablespoons of almonds
•2 tablespoons cashews
•1 tablespoon fennel seeds
•1 tablespoon dried rose petals
•Few strands of Saffaron
•2 pinches of black pepper
•200 ml coconut water
For Gelling:
•10 grams of gelatine
•40 ml of cold water
•750 ml milk
•300 ml cream
•210 gm sugar
•450 ml coconut milk
For Garnish:
•6 fresh figs, sliced thin
•Pistachio halves
•3-4 dried roses, ground into powder with pinch of sugar
For the paste mix all the spices and nuts together with the coconut water and soak overnight. Next morning blend into a smooth puree. Set aside. Bloom the gelatin in cold water by soaking it for 5 minutes and set aside. In a saucepan add the thandai paste, milk, heavy cream and sugar. Bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine. Next add coconut milk to this and mix well. Transfer to the desired dishes and set in the refrigerator for min of 4 hours. Garnish with chopped pistachios, fresh figs and dried rose flower dust.
By chef Suvir Saran