Thandai with firangi twist

Thandai is big, up North. In Mathura, Vrindavan, even Lucknow, it's a street 'drink', served all through the year. Cooling and healthy, with a host of masalas and dry fruits, it's more than masala milk. In fact, call it that and you may offend traditional thandai vendors. As per the Hindu religion, it has more relevance during Shivratri. Anand Kumar, a third generation thandai vendor from Brij region near Mathura, says: "Yeh tradition Shivratri se shuru hui thi jab Parvati ji ne Shivji ke liye bhaang thandai banai (The tradition can be traced back to Shivratri, when Parvati served bhaang thandai to Shiv)." In the Brij, it's still served with bhaang.

Before I tried my first presumably authentic badaam thandai in Mathura's famous Chatta Bazar, near Vishram Ghat, I had two reservations — I wanted to avoid bhaang, but wondered whether it was worth trying thandai without it, and second, milk isn't my favourite. Well, even sans bhaang, black pepper and green cardamom did a good job of masking the milk smell and taste. And the thandai's rich flavours, which in Brij, typically features almonds, pistachios and raisins, spices and ice, linger on.

Traditionally, all spices and mewa are pounded with a mortar and pestle. Ingredients, however, vary from one region to another; in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, the black pepper taste is pronounced whereas in Rajasthan and Gujarat, the black pepper taste is subtle with poppy seeds and fennel being the new additions. Saffron is optional, and cinnamon is a modern addition. Fancy versions include rose petals and essence of orange and kala khatta. Interesting is also Mumbai's interpretation of thandai in French and Italian.

Italian avatar

Trust chef Rakesh Talwar to distil the best of flavours when it comes to foods with a twist. Juhu's Spare Kitchen plates a thandai pana cotta, giving the Indian beverage an Italian avatar, with a gulkand jelly crown and tiny Benarasi paan-flavoured macarons to complete it. Chef Talwar's dessert follows the North Indian thandai recipe—sticking to almond, saffron and a hint of black pepper. Rose and fennel, which generally feature in Rajasthani and Gujarati recipes, are included too. Rose petals go into the jelly and and fennel flavoured glass is used as a garnish. Though steeply priced, at Rs365, it's highly recommended.

Thandai without thandai

Okay, so Masala Library's 'molecular' take on the classic thandai is legendary. An amuse-bouche, the Thandai Sphere, Milk and Saffron Reduction is created via "reverse spherification process where thandai puree is converted into a sphere". The explanation is technical as hell, but it tastes heavenly. The flavours explode in your mouth. The recently-opened Masala Bar offers an interesting concoction: Bollywood Bhaang. Its key ingredients are neither bhaang nor thandai, yet it mimics the Brij bhaang thandai, I am told by friends who have tried it. So how do they do it? With fresh basil leaves, mascarpone, milk and a few spices muddled together and served with vodka.
Price: Rs 700 plus taxes.

Frenched with macarons

La Folie's thandai macarons are the creation of celebrity chef Saransh Goila (I am told), whom the patisserie had collaborated with last year to concoct a new range of macarons for World Macaron Day. Owner of one of Mumbai's handful of patisseries that boast a monopoly in macarons, chef Sanjana Patel says the recipe includes almonds, pistachio, saffron, cardamom and rose petals. The ingredients are infused in cream for over 48 hours, crushed to a fine paste and the distilled essence is expertly used to make the macaron. Priced at Rs80 a piece, these are available at all three outlets.

Quirky-flavoured

The Holi special menu at JW Café, JW Marriott Sahar, features seven flavoured thandais—plain, strawberry, khus, badam, pista and quirky must-haves: Blue Curacao and kala khatta. Sous Chef Prasad Parab reveals, "On Maha Shivratri one of my chefs wanted us to try his mother's kala khatta thandai recipe. And we all loved it." So it made a debut during one of their Sunday brunches and became a hit. The base recipe is traditional with full-cream milk, cinnamon, black pepper, soaked almonds and cashews, poppy and melon seeds and green cardamom. Essence is added for flavouring. If you missed the Holi brunch, don't fret. The next time you make a reservation, put in a special request for flavoured thandais, the chef has promised to honour requests if reasonable notice is given.

Hand-churned with marshmallow

Adding to their list of custom-made ice creams, this Holi, Icekraft in Oshiwara is also serving a thandai special. Marshmallow ice cream (one of their base flavours) gets an artisanal thandai syrup relish. Fresh rose petals are added and the ice cream is churned for a minute-and-half in front of you. The presentation is lovely too—ice cream rolled into hollow cylinders, topped with white chocolate sauce and a quenelle of mawa whipped-cream. It was available through the festive season and we are told today is the last day (At Rs169 per portion).