4 Unique Thandai Recipes

Thandai is a popular and refreshing Indian beverage. It is a milk-based drink prepared with sugar and full-cream milk infused with nuts, seeds, spices, and herbs such as almonds, fennel seeds, rose petals, pepper, cardamom, saffron, and those are only some flavors used in the recipes. The drink, also known as Sardai, is very popular, especially in North India, and traditionally served during the Holi festival. This Indian Spring festival celebrates the victory of good over evil.

Thandai recipes vary from place to place, and many times they are uniquely created for specific celebrations, but if we look at the base of all these different recipes, one common thing we might find is the thandai masala and milk. Adding to the spice blend different flavors, such as mango, tea, chocolate, vanilla, and various tropical fruits, allows one to create unique flavor combinations.

In some way, Thandai is very similar to masala chai minus the tea and is usually served cold over ice. If you mix the masala with water diluted yogurt, Ayran, we will be making Lassi.

In the end, these three famous Indian drinks, Thandai, Masala chai, and Lassi, have one thing in common, the masala spice mix. Once we know how to make the powdered spiced blend, we can use it, sometimes, as a base to make all three.
What goes in masala is up to a person’s taste and preferences. Still, the two main differences are adding seeds ( fennel, melon, sunflower, etc.) into the mix and making masala paste instead of masala powder in chai and Lassi.

One good thing about preparing masala powder in advance is, once it is ready, place it in an air-tight container and keep it for when needed.

One particular variation of Thandai is not for kids, called Bhang Thandai, and is very popular in India. It is a cannabis plant-based paste added to the rest of the ingredients, thus creating an experience associated with the effects of the THC.

I’m not sure if all Bhang^ is made from the marijuana variety. Still, according to the Hindu-English dictionary from 1866, bhang is derived from hemp variety of cannabis plant, which by definition has a lower content of THC. However, people, especially kids, should still be aware of that.

The recipes I posted below are the ones I came across in the last few years and found interesting enough to keep and share with you.
Some of the recipes have alcohol added to them.

Thandai Recipes

The Thandai drink, regardless of the masala blend, whether powder or paste, allows one to add any additional flavors, to create genuinely refreshing or Thandai/Cooling enjoyment during these hot afternoons, not just in India but anywhere you are.
This video recipe was posted by hebbarskitchen in which they are making three different flavored Thandai;

• traditional Thandai mix paste
• Mango Thandai
• Paan Thandai
  

The following recipes are based on the traditional and the mango thandai, only for adults, as I added some alcohol.

Feature image by Photo by Prachi Palwe on Unsplash