“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