Thandai – nut and spice flavored milk drink

I thought spring is here:

My Thandai poem🙈;

I thought spring is here.

I hear the winter ice crackle,

The snow on the roof is now becoming droplets and slowly finding its way down.

The days get longer,

The sun shines brighter,

But the air outside still feels colder

I thought spring is here.

It feels kind of young spring,

The birds echo in the background

I hear the wood pecker tap,

But not a single fresh bloom on the trees yet

I thought spring is here.

Its the month of seasonal transition

The month that brings spring snow,

As April slowly stirs in

There shall be April showers,

Only to bring gorgeous May flowers,

The birds will all be back,

The trees will all bloom,

The seedlings will sprout

The air will have the sweet scent,

And Soon there will be Full Spring

Patiently waiting on Spring

Thandai, an Indian milk based cooling drink, very popular in the spring and summer season.

It might be official spring in the Northern Hemisphere, but most of us still have few weeks of winter left. Or rather I should say the transition from winters to spring might take a little longer 🙄.  March is the month when we finally say good bye to freezing cold and welcome the warmer weather. It might be early spring, but we also having white spring. How unusual is that!

Personally I do love white Christmas, but white spring, not so appealing is it? I am so ready for some warm temperatures and fresh blossoms. Winter seems ever lasting and I can see that frustration among people all around.  And with all the cold temperatures, I am all about warm beverages. March also seems to be one of the happy months, as it brings new hopes along with new seasonal changes. And with every seasonal change there comes some festivities and celebrations. wohooo!! 

A Festival a month…

I come from a culture that celebrates anything and everything almost every month! Sounds fun right? We have At-least something to look forward to each month. And yes, in March Indians celebrate The Festival of Colors known as Holi. It is one of the oldest festivals in Hindu culture. I don’t want to get much into all the religious significance about Holi; because today it is about Thandai and also, honestly I don’t know much when it comes to religious views and knowledge 🙈. I know I should know more, but hey, c’mon festivals don’t have to be too serious all the time. It’s all about having fun and some good family time.

This is also the only festival that I love but do not celebrate. Now, don’t ask me why, because I have no idea myself 🤷🏻‍♀️. I absolutely love watching people having fun on the streets, throwing dry colors and colored water at each other. I have never allowed anyone to put color on me, neither did I throw colors on anyone else. Those colors don’t come off easily, and it is not as fun cleaning them as it is playing with them. However, I do take part in the festival when it comes to the food. Not anything new, I know! It’s always about food and good times 🙂

Thandai cooling action

India starts warming up with the arrival of March and people start prepping for hot weather. There are certain foods that totally signify the season and certain festivals. Thandai is one of them. Holi is literally incomplete without Thandai. It’s a quintessential nut and spice flavored milk drink. Lots of people find milk drinks weird; but this is really unique in a delicious way. Its also my favorite kind of milk beverage. Thandai literally means coolant and ‘Thand’ is the Hindi name for ‘Cold’. It is supposed to give you cooling effect. People usually add liquor in it to make it real festive, but of course, as kids we were given without any alcohol. 

Thandai mixology

This unique beverage is made by combining different spices and nuts. All the different flavor profile that goes into this drink makes it special and so unique. Think about milk being so rich, sweet, peppery, floral and boozy. I know it all sounds very strange. But the aroma of mixed spices – fennel, cardamom, saffron and dried rose; richness from the almonds; spiciness from black pepper corns; sweetness from the dates; and the the cooling effect from poppy seeds makes this absolutely divine.To make it even more heavenly, add some Rum to it. So good and addictive! Its a perfect drink to welcome spring.

This might sound really strange, but its the truth- I don’t drink alcohol at all, but you’ll always find me baking, and cooking with it. So of-course, I love my Thandai without alcohol. But if I am baking with it, then yes I would add not just a dash but tons of liquor in it. That’s a weird fact about me. You want to know another fact- while the whole of India enjoys this milk chilled and cold, I love this warm. Believe it or not, warm spiced milk in this cold weather not only feels cozy, but delicious on another level. You can call it my Hot Chocolate drink during cold nights. And it does not give you Cooling effect when drank hot. 

Coming back to this beverage, all the spices along with nuts are soaked overnight and then blended next day with milk. You could make it vegan by adding non dairy milk, Just remember if you make it with coconut milk, it might add a sweetness and coconut flavor to the drink. Also, if you add almond milk, you might not need all those almonds to make Thandai.

Hot or cold; Thandai is gold

I have been playing with this beverage in my kitchen a lot lately and made few desserts out of it. So this is truly versatile drink. You could strain the blended milk through nut cloth or you can leave it as it is. Personally, I do not strain as I blend it completely. And I do like the grainy texture. Like I said, the poppy seeds do give a cooling effect, so don’t be surprised, if you feel cold after having chilled Thandai in this freezing weather. However if you do drink it hot, this will provide extra warmth because of the saffron and peppers in it. 

Hot or cold, with or without alcohol, this milk beverage is rich, addictive and totally heavenly. I hope you enjoy drinking this all spring and summer long and if you are like me, then even during winters nights by reducing some poppy seeds and drinking it hot. Let me know if you do make this, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or leave a comment below. 

Lastly, wish you all a very happy spring and hope this new season brings colorful hues of happiness in your life.