Come ‘Holi’ (festival of colours) and the weather here in India gets very hot. While we play with colors to celebrate, all Indian festivals are synonymous with food and one such food must is ‘Thandai’ on the occasion of Holi. Today, I am sharing the recipe of Thandai the way my mom makes it and her mom made it. So yes, it’s passed through the generations.

Ingredients:

1/2 a bowl saunf which has to be sun dried and then fine grounded

8-10 almonds

1 tsp khus khus

1 litre milk

1 1/2 tsp raisins

2 tsp Pista

8-10 big raisins or monacca

4 seedless dates

1 tsp dry melon seeds

10-15 rose petals

10-15 strands of kesar or saffron

Method:

Soak the ground saunf in water overnight in a bowl. Grind it and sieve it.

Soak the dry fruits and rose petals in another bowl of water for 2-3 hours. Grind it.

Soak saffron in milk in a third bowl for a few minutes.

Now mix all ingredients in cold milk, add soaked saffron and serve it in an earthern pot.