Holi Thandai with a From-Scratch Nut & Melon-Seed Masala

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The spiced almond milk of North Indian spring festivals, built properly: raw almonds, cashews and melon seeds soaked until soft, ground with toasted fennel, green cardamom, black pepper and dried rose into a pale masala paste, then steeped into saffron-scented milk and chilled overnight. The result is thicker and more perfumed than any bottled syrup version — cooling, faintly peppery, and pink-gold from saffron and rose. Make it a day ahead; it only gets better.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup raw almonds
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 3 tablespoons melon seeds (magaz) or raw hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds (khus khus), optional

• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 12 pods green cardamom
• 3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves, optional
• 2 tablespoons dried edible rose petals

• 6 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon rose water

• ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds or chopped pistachios
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals, for garnish

Instructions

1. Put the almonds, cashews, melon seeds and poppy seeds (if using) in a bowl and cover with 2 cups of very hot water. Soak at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours — the almonds should feel soft enough to dent with a fingernail. Drain and slip the skins off the almonds; they should pop free with a pinch.
2. Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds, cardamom pods, peppercorns and cloves in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking constantly, just until the fennel smells sweet and turns a shade darker. Do not let it brown. Tip onto a plate and cool completely.
3. Crack the cardamom pods, discard the husks, and grind the seeds with the fennel, peppercorns, cloves and 2 tablespoons rose petals in a spice grinder or mortar to a fine, fragrant powder. You will have about 3 tablespoons of thandai masala.
4. Pour 1 cup of the milk into a small bowl, crumble in the saffron threads, and let them bloom for 15 minutes until the milk turns deep gold.
5. Bring the remaining 5 cups milk to a bare simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring often so it does not catch — you want it around 185°F, steaming with small bubbles at the edge, never a rolling boil. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes to concentrate it slightly, then stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved and take it off the heat.
6. While the milk simmers, blend the drained nuts and seeds with 1/2 cup of cold water in a blender on high for 2 full minutes, scraping down once, until you have a smooth, thick white paste with no grit between your fingers. Add another tablespoon of water if the blender stalls.
7. Whisk the nut paste and the ground thandai masala into the hot milk. Return the pan to low heat for 3 minutes, whisking, just to marry everything — keep it below a simmer so the masala does not turn bitter.
8. Off the heat, stir in the saffron milk and the rose water. Cover and let the thandai steep at room temperature for 30 minutes as it cools.
9. For a silky café-style drink, strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, pressing the solids firmly with a ladle to squeeze out every bit of the nut milk. For a homier, thicker thandai, pass it through the sieve alone and leave the fine nut sediment in.
10. Transfer to a jug, cover and chill at least 4 hours and preferably overnight — the flavor deepens noticeably. Taste cold and adjust sugar, since chilling mutes sweetness.
11. Stir or shake well before pouring (it settles), then serve over ice in tall glasses, topped with slivered almonds and a few rose petals.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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