Thandai (Indian Almond Drink)
"This is very easy to make and, oh so refreshing to drink. Note that there's a minimum 2-hour refrigeration time."
photo by Jonathan Melendez
- Ready In:
- 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 liters water
- 1 cup sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon almonds
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, raw, hulled
- 1⁄2 tablespoon poppy seed
- 1⁄2 tablespoon anise seed
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon rose water (optional) or 1 teaspoon orange flower water (optional)
- 1 teaspoon peppercorn
- 1⁄4 cup rose petal, organic (optional)
directions
- Soak sugar in 1/2 litre of the water used. Set aside.
- Soak remaining ingredients in 2 cups of remaining water. Set aside.
- Allow all soaked items to stand for at least 2 hours.
- Grind all soaked ingredients to a very fine paste. (not sugar) in a processor or blender.
- Place a double layer of cheesecloth or a coffee filter over/in a strainer and set over a large container/pitcher.
- Press through muslin with the back of a spoon, extracting as much liquid as possible.
- Add remaining water, a little at a time to extract more of the nut liquid.
- Pour back some of the extract and press, repress. Do this a number of times to extract as much flavour out of the nut paste as possible.
- Mix well. Chill for atleast 2 hours before serving. You may need to give the drink a stir before pouring.
- To serve, sprinkle some rose petals over each serving (optional).
- Note: Do not discard the nut paste - it is excellent used in making korma-type curries.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
I loved this drink so much. It was like an horchata but with Indian flavors and it was great. Served with ice and garnished with a bit of dried rose petals! It's a great recipe. -
I knew about almond drink, but I never prepared some! It's very easy and with these spices it's delicious as well.<br/>The rose water addition makes of this oriental drink a dream! <br/>Serve cold! It's a great alternative without alcohol!<br/>Thanks Evelyn! -
Delish I really enjoyed this. I just should have known to cut the sugar in half for my taste. This is very sweet and I`m sure that the sugar gives it the body. I used rose water and did buy orange for the next time I make this. And I will make it again! This would be great in a bread pudding used as the milk for those that are lactose intolerant or for those that want a great added flavor to the pudding. Thanks Ev! -
You're right! Refreshing and super simple to make. My regret is that I didn't discover this earlier so I could have enjoyed it all summer. Thanks Evelyn! ***This recipe was reviewed for the game Zaar Tag***
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<style>body { background: url("http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3512121819_f2f1aaf050.jpg?v=0"); background-repeat: repeat-y; }</style>
OK, here goes. I live in Athens, Greece. I moved out here many, many years ago from Ottawa, Canada - so I am blessed in having two wonderful heritages!
I suffer from compulsive obsessive behaviour with regard to food and my psychiatrist thought it would be a good idea to find a 'society' where many have the same problem and try to find a cure.
So far, I've copied a couple of thousand recipes from this site and my psychiatrist has thrown the towel in and refuses to answer the phone when I call.
What did I do wrong?
Got 3 kids that keep me on the go - 10 and under at this point (2008) - I may not get round to updating this for a few years, so you'll have to do your own maths.
I teach English full-time and Greek Cookery part-time. I would like to make the cooking part of it full-time and the English Grammar part of it part-time.
That's all for now.
