Thandai - A Spiced Milk

First of all Aps Kitchen Wishes all the readers A Happy Holi.

There is no such memories about holi for us as in mangalore especially  we konkani’s do not celebrate it like the way others do. Just on the holika dahan the boys take a big palm tree and burn it and a few boys colour each other. That is it what I know about Holi in mangalore, We do have a holi or as we call it Okkul function in Mangalore which comes during the Car Festive/Teru/Rath time and even there the ladies do not play Holi, but after marriage when we stayed in Mumbai I came to know how holi is celebrated with pomp and fun(till then I had seen how it is celebrated only in TV or Movies). I so very missed the fun so many years.

Now coming to todays recipe Thandai, it is a rich spiced milk which is made especially during Holi. I never made this drink before. But thought of making it while I watched a viedo in youtube Ruchkar Mejwani. There she has explained it very well and even has told how we can make a thandai syrup.

I have made it just like that except for adding Khus Khus as it is banned here in UAE  and have skipped cucumber seeds that she has mentioned. I have added cashew nuts to it instead.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Fennel Seeds (Badishep)
1 tsp Black Pepper
20 Cashewnuts
20 Almonds
20 Pistachios
Saffron a few strands
250 gms Sugar(approx 1 cup)
Water( ½ cup)
Milk
   

 Method:

Soak Almonds, Pistachios in a bowl for atleast 1-2 hours in warm water. Similarly in another small bowl soak the cashewnuts .**
Now throw the water and peel the skin from almonds and pistachios.
 In a pan fennel seeds, black pepper roast  them ingredients well without oil.
Grind these ingredients along with saffron strands in a mixer grinder to make fine powder and keep aside.
In the same jar add soaked cashew badam and pistachios and make it into a fine paste
Now lets  make the sugar syrup, in a pan add water & sugar. Once the sugar melts and water comes to a boil, add the spice powder, cashew almonds pistachios paste.
Mix all the ingredients very well and once the concentrate gets a good boil switch off the gas/flame. The concentrate for thandai is ready. Let the concentrate cool completely,

In a serving glass, add 2-3 tbsp of the concentrate. Then add chilled milk.
 Thandai is ready to be served.

Notes:

I have skipped  cucumber seeds and khus khus here so I have added cashew nuts.

I have soaked cashew nuts seperately because we can utilize the water which we have soaked to grind the paste.

Saffron is optional I have added it you can omit it.

You can add white pepper instead of black pepper.

Happy Cooking,