Contributed by Gayatri Sharma
The last time I had Thandai was on Holi this year. The boss had gone off somewhere, and my office colleagues happily laced the milky stuff with huge quantities of Bhang. All I remember of the taste is that I found it hard to finish, since it was very heavy and creamy. After drinking as much as possible, I giggled uncontrollably for some time, before B (also giggling) found Sji swivelling around on the chair and K washing the dishes repeatedly. Events went downhill after that and I doubt if anyone wants further details published on the Internet.In a nutshell, Thandai can be as boring or naughty as you wish it to be.
Thandai is a drink made with milk, sugar, almonds, poppy seeds, saunf (aniseed), melon seeds, black pepper, saffron and elaichi (cardamom). Rose flower essence (gulab-jal) and other spices can also be added to the drink. It is traditionally made in summer as drinking it is supposed to cool the body, hence the name. Thandai used to be made at home by my Nani (maternal grandmother) in the peak of summer, when melons had been in season for at least a month. She would wash the melon seeds, and place them in the sun for a week or so, until the skin of the melon seed became easy to peel off. Then she would take out the almonds hoarded in her cupboard and start the process of peeling and grinding. Thandai is also traditionally drunk on Holi (festival of colors) with Bhang (leaves and flowers of the female cannabis plant) mixed in it. When I asked Sji why, he told me that Bhang has to be mixed with something that is high in fat and calories. Thandai therefore is made using full cream milk, which is a good base for Bhang.
Almond trees are native to the Middle East, and almonds spread to India along with Persian immigration. Almonds and melons were introduced to India by the Persians only in the 16th century. It is likely that the ancient Indian habit of drinking spiced milk mixed with the new ingredients introduced by the Persians led to Thandai (Hot milk with haldi was apparently a favourite of the ancient Indians and is mentioned in the Vedas). Sharbat Bil Loz is the Iranian version of the drink, which is less spicy than the Indian version of Thandai. While almonds mixed with milk seems to be common, my research has yielded results for different recipes from other parts of the world. In Morocco, for instance, crushed almonds mixed with milk and ground cinnamon is drunk at Ramadan. A popular drink in Saudi Arabia contains crushed dates, crushed almonds, milk and nothing else (this actually looked quite good based on the picture I saw of it). Although I haven’t been able to find any authoritative text stating where the practice of drinking milk with almonds originates, my guess is that wherever people drink milk – and almonds are available – the two integrated in some fashion or the other to make a beverage. However, the addition of pepper, khus khus (poppy seeds), saunf, and cardamom is distinct to the Indian subcontinent. All the other versions of almond milk I found, focus on almond as the main ingredient, with perhaps one other flavour added. Thandai is a heavily layered drink, with many flavours in it.
Here is my Nani‘s recipe:
Most recipes contain the same ingredients, but vary in terms of amount of spices added, depending on personal preferences. In my grandmother’s case, she used an equal amount of milk and water and added lots of pepper. This is a good meal substitute for days when one’s appetite is low.
Thandai (4 -5 glasses)
- 20-25 almonds (soak in warm water and remove the skin)
- Handful of melon seeds (My Nani would wash and peel the melon seeds herself, but that’s because she didn’t know they were available in the market)
- 1 tbsp white poppy seeds (khus khus)
- Sugar mixed in water (take 3 glasses water and mix sugar according to taste)
- Whole black pepper
- Cardamom (peeled)
- Saffron (very little, soaked in some water)
- Bhang tablets (ha-ha, kidding)
- Full fat milk – 3 glasses
Grind the almonds with the melon seeds and black pepper. Place the milk on a low flame. Add all the ingredients and stir for a while, without allowing the milk to boil.
Chill, add ice and serve.
Tip: Serve with a teaspoon, as the ground almonds will gather at the bottom of the glass.
- Gayatri
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