Thandai Powder Masala is a flavorful and aromatic spice blend, perfect for enhancing drinks, desserts, and sweets. Traditionally enjoyed during the Holi festival, this aromatic nut and spice mix adds a refreshing touch to milk-based beverages and various desserts. Learn how to easily make this Thandai masala in just 5 minutes, and discover the health benefits and versatility of this delightful powder.
What is Thandai Powder Masala?
Thandai is a popular Indian beverage made from milk, nuts, and spices, typically enjoyed during the Holi festival, which celebrates colors and joy. It’s especially refreshing as the weather warms up, making it the ideal drink for cooling down.
Thandai Powder Masala is a mix of aromatic spices, nuts, and seeds, which can be added to milk, sweets, or baked goods for an extra burst of flavor.
Health Benefits of Thandai Powder
Packed with nuts and spices like almonds, fennel seeds, cardamom, and saffron, Thandai powder is not only flavorful but also rich in nutrients. It helps with digestion, improves gut health, and provides a cooling effect on the body.
This natural spice blend also boasts anti-inflammatory properties and can be a great addition to a balanced diet.
Ingredients for Homemade Thandai Powder
Making Thandai masala at home is quick and simple. Here's what you'll need:
- Almonds and Cashew – You can use either or both. If you are nut allergic, you can discard the nuts.
- Fennel Seeds
- Poppy Seeds
- Melon Seeds
- Black Pepper
- Green Cardamoms
- Saffron
- Dry Rose Petals
How to Make Thandai Powder
Combine all the powders in a bowl, mix well, and store in an airtight jar.
Grind the almonds and cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
Add the remaining ingredients (fennel seeds, poppy seeds, melon seeds, black pepper, cardamom, saffron, and rose petals) to the grinder and blend them into a fine powder.
Pro Tip: No need to roast the spices or seeds, as the flavors remain potent when freshly ground.
How to store and use Thandai Powder
Store the Thandai Powder Masala in a clean dry airtight jar. You don’t need to store in the refrigerator unless it’s very hot where you live, and the humidity might spoil the powder.
The spice powder is extremely aromatic with a lot of health benefits too.
Simmer with warm along with some rose water (optional) and you have Thandai Drink.
You can mix the powder while making kheer or any other variety of milk dessert.
Mix in cookie dough to prepare Thandai cookies
You can even mix the Thandai powder in cake batter too. Here is a Colorful Holi Cake.
Uses for Thandai Powder
Sweets: Use it to flavor milk-based desserts, like puddings or kulfi.
Thandai Drink: Simmer the powder in warm milk with a splash of rose water for a refreshing drink.
Desserts: Add to kheer, cakes, or cookies for a festive twist.
Baking: Mix into dough for Thandai-flavored cookies or add it to cake batter for an exotic flavor.
Thandai Powder: The Perfect Holi Treat
Whether you celebrate Holi or just enjoy the flavors, this easy Thandai masala recipe is a delightful treat that can be enjoyed year-round. It’s the perfect way to bring some authentic Indian flavors into your kitchen, whether you’re making drinks, desserts, or special Holi treats.
Thandai Powder Masala
Ingredients
- Almonds ⅓ cup
- Cashews ⅓ cup
- whole black peppercorns - 1 teaspoon
- fennel seeds - 2 tablespoons
- Melon seeds - 2 tablepsoons
- white poppy seeds - 1 tablespoon
- Green cardamom pods - 1 tablespoon
- Dried rose petals - 1 tablespoon
- a good pinch of saffron strands
Instructions
- Using a coffee grinder, grind the nuts seperatelty to a power. Take it out to a bowl.
- Add rest of the ingredients to the grinder and grind to a fine dust. Add to the same bowl.
- Give a mix and then store everything in an airtight container.
mjskitchen
I'm wanting to make your Thandai Custard and was going through the ingredients for this spice mix. I have everything but the dried rose petals. I understand that rose flavor would be very hard to substitute, but I do have dried hibiscus. Do you think that would work?