Thandai

Festivals and food in India are very intrinsically linked. We are in a perpetual state of celebration. A harvest festival here, a special God's birthday there, an auspicious date from the Hindu calendar, the festival of lights in fall or the festival of color in spring. There is always something to celebrate with family and friends. And each of these festivals has its own unique food.

Thandai is one such drink that is associated with Mahashivratri and Holi. This cold and refreshing milk-based drink is prepared with an array of nuts, aromatic spices, and flavorings. Served virgin or spiked, enjoyed by all big or small.

'Thandai' literally means 'something cooling'. This energizing and cooling drink is wonderful for those scorching summer months in India. Every ingredient in Thandai has great health benefits. Almonds are a great source of healthy fats and Vitamin E with anti-oxidant properties. Fennel seeds have good digestive properties, pumpkin seeds are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.

The recipe below makes about 4-5 cups of Thandai mix. Store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. For long term storage, freeze in an airtight container. For a party, you can blend the thandai mix with milk and refrigerate in a large container until serving time. Serve virgin shots or spiked glassfuls as required.

Ingredients:
1 cup poppy seeds (khus khus)
1 cup almonds, unsalted (badam)
¾ cup fennel seeds (saunf)
½ cup cashews, unsalted  (kaju)
½ cup pistachios, unsalted  (pista)
½ cup pumpkin seeds (magaz)
⅓ cup green cardamom (elaichi)
⅓ cup whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
1 tsp nutmeg powder
For garnish
Few strands of saffron
¼ cup Rose petals (optional)
Crushed pistachios
To Spike it
Vodka/Scotch

1. Grind the first eight ingredients to form a powder. 
2. Add nutmeg powder and mix well. 
3. Store the thandai powder in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Or freeze for longer shelf life. 
4. To make Thandai: In a blender add a cup of cold milk, a heaped tablespoon of thandai powder and sugar to taste. Blend till well mixed. Let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. 
5. Strain and serve chilled sprinkled with crushed pistachios, a few strands of saffron and some rose petals.
6. Sometimes I like to serve it as is without straining. 
7. Spiked Thandai: Make thandai as above and add a shot of vodka or scotch. 

Mango Panna

During summer in India when the temps soar and lethargy sets in, all you want to do is drink something cold and not move a muscle.  Watermelon, coconut water, cucumber, and lemons… all these great summer coolers come in handy. Another very popular and fave summer drink is Mango panna. It is a tangy refreshing raw mango drink to beat the heat. An ideal sweet and sour summer cooler for when mangoes are in abundance.
The tangy sourness of the raw mango is balanced by sugar and black salt. So the recipe here is just a guideline. All the quantities will depend on how sour the mangoes are. Addition of mint and roasted crushed cumin seeds gives it a flavor boost. Serve it on the rocks and enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 medium sized raw mangoes
6 cups of water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp Black salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1. Place the raw mangoes in a pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water.
2. Pressure cook for 2 minutes on simmer after the whistle. Let cool.
3. Scoop out all the pulp from the mango seed and peel. Discard the peel and seed.
4. Add remaining water, salt, black salt, roasted cumin powder and blend using a hand blender. 
5. Finely chop mint leaves and add to the mix. If desired, add some freshly ground black pepper. 
6. Taste the concoction. Based on the ripeness of the mangoes, the drink might require more sugar and/or salt. It should be a balance of sweet-sour-salty. So add more of sugar and/or black salt if needed.
7. Chill before serving. Make sure to give it a stir (as the pulp might have settled down) before pouring in a tall glass filled with ice. 

Kaanji

Kanji is a nutritious traditional Indian mocktail made with the simplest of ingredients. This fermented drink has a tangy flavor and a beautiful pinkish red color - a perfect drink for Holi festivities. I remember my mom making this drink with black/dark purple carrots which were only available in the market during the winter-spring months. These contributed to the lovely color of the drink. Since black carrots are not available here in Canada, I have used a combination of red carrots and beets.
This probiotic drink aids in digestion and its sour salty flavor is certainly unique (an acquired taste for sure). For kanji you need to combine carrots, mustard powder and salt in a large glass jar with lots of water and keep this concoction in a sunny spot for several days. Time required to ferment and develop the flavor depends on the temperature in your house. It will take anywhere between 3 to 7 days, or more if its colder. In India the jar is usually kept outside in the sun during the day and kanji fully ferments in 3-4 days during the winter spring temps. Here in Canada, I made this drink at the peak of winter. So leaving it outside was not an option. I kept it in the oven with the light on for 3 days and that did the trick.

Ingredients:
4 large carrots
2 medium beets
12 cups water
Salt to taste
21/2 tbsp mustard (Rai) seeds

1. You will need a large glass jar or container for this recipe. 
2. Peel carrots and beets. Cut into long batons and put them in the glass container.
3. Add 12 cups of water and salt to taste. 
4. Grind the mustard seeds into coarse powder. Add it to the above mixture. Mix the contents well and cover. 
5. Keep the container in a sunny spot and stir the contents every day with a wooden spoon. 
6. Taste the liquid periodically to see if its ready. Once the kanji develops a tangy flavor, your drink is fermented. 
7. Strain the contents and refrigerate the liquid to chill. Also refrigerate the pickled batons and enjoy them with food later or serve them as garnish in the drink. 
8. As it sits in the refrigerator, further fermentation takes place at a slower pace and kanji will get more tangy and yummy. Keep refrigerated.