Thandhai (spiced milk cooler)

  • Portion size: Serves 8
  • Hands-on time 20 min, plus 2 hours infusing
  • Difficulty: easy
Recipe by: Vivek Singh

Vivek Singh shares his recipe for thandai, a traditional Indian cold drink made with almonds, milk and spices and often drunk during Holi.

You might also like our creamy saffron and cardamom lassi.

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Ingredients

  • 60g caster sugar
  • 1½ tbsp ground almonds
  • ½ tbsp melon seeds (see tips)
  • ¾ tsp fennel seeds
  • ¾ tsp white poppy seeds (see tips)
  • ¼ tsp black peppercorns
  • 8g edible dried rose petals (see tips)
  • 125ml whole milk
  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom
  • ¼ tsp rosewater (see tips)

You’ll also need

  • Blender (or a pestle and mortar)
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Method

  1. Dissolve the sugar in 250ml boiling water. Set aside. Combine all the other ingredients, except the milk, cardamom and rosewater, with 250ml water. Set aside to soak for 2 hours.
  2. Grind all the soaked ingredients to a very fine paste in a blender (or use a pestle and mortar).
  3. Add another 250ml water to the paste, then pass it through a fine sieve into a jug to extract all the liquid (discard what’s left in the sieve). Add the sugar solution, milk, cardamom and rosewater to the liquid. Keep refrigerated and serve in small measures over cubes of ice.
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Nutrition

  • 61kcals Calories
  • 2.4g (0.5g saturated) Fat
  • 1.4g Protein
  • 8.4g (8.3g sugars) Carbs
  • no fibre Fibre
  • trace Salt

Quick wins & tips

Find melon seeds and white poppy seeds on Amazon or at theasiancookshop.co.uk. For a stronger rose flavour, add a little more rosewater. Buy bags of edible dried rose petals on Amazon

Make Ahead

Make the drink at least 2 hours ahead or up to a day before serving.

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