“Thandai” - Cooling Festival Drink

This drink is often served chilled in summer or at Indian festivals

Ingredients:

• 6 cups milk

• 25 soaked and peeled or blanched Almonds

• 3 Tbs dry roasted Poppy seeds

• Few strands of Saffron (kesar)

• Dates or brown sugar to taste

• 8 green cardamoms

• 20 rose petals (fresh or dried), or 1 tbs rose water

• ½ stick Cinnamon

• 8-10 Black peppercorns

Directions:

1. Grind saffron, then grind almonds and poppy seeds and add little milk to make a paste

2. Bring remaining milk to a boil in a pan with cinnamon stick

3. Add saffron mix to milk and bring to boil and then remove from heat

4. Add sugar and stir to melt

5. Grind green cardamoms, black pepper corns, and rose petals into powder (if using rose water, add rose water after milk has cooled)

6. Add ground spices to milk paste

7. Cool to room temperature and then drink

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