Here are ten restaurants that are serving Thandai this Holi in most innovative ways one could imagine.
The essence of Indian festivals lies in the food. Every festival celebrated in India is associated with one or the other food and drink – Diwali with sweets, Ganeshotsav with Modak Holi, Durga Puja with Mishti Doi, Luchi and Holi with Gujia and Thandai. To stay ahead of their competitors, many restaurants have been experimenting with modern Indian food and serving cuisines in the most innovative ways.
Here are ten restaurants that are serving Thandai this Holi in most innovative ways one could imagine.
Refreshing and delicious, you can't celebrate Holi without Thandai. Sante Spa Cuisine's Thandai Milkshake is a must try for all who are in or visiting Mumbai this Holi. Made with Saffron, Cinnamon, Fennel Seed Powder, Cardamon seeds, Rosewater, a pinch of Black Pepper, Cashew, Almond, Pistachio and Milk, it's a host of authentic Indian flavours. What's better? The Mumbai restaurant uses Khandari (unrefined) sugar instead of the regular one to make the milkshake healthier without missing out on the taste!
Sante Spa Cuisine is located at BKC, Mumbai. Kaneesha Jain, owner of Sante Spa Cuisine, BKC says, “Our Thandai Milkshake is made in-house and perfectly complements the hot weather in Mumbai; it cools down your system internally. It is also one of the healthiest and satisfying milkshakes you can opt for during Holi to beat the heat and energise you for the festivities.”
Here comes traditional Thandai which we all enjoy during Holi, and in summers but with a healthy and exciting twist! The Red Kettle café at Westend Marg, Saidulajab in Delhi is serving Strawberry Thandai this season. Owner of The Red Kettle, Nida Khanam says, “It's for people who want to cheat their regime but within their healthy boundaries. We are serving thandai made with dry fruits, strawberries and green apple. We are also serving dry gujias.” Ever thought of this one? The Thandai along with dry gujia comes at Rs 180, a well-thought-out and budget pricing!
“In my whole life, Holi is one such festival which I enjoy more than Diwali. Colours and water-filled balloons are the main highlights. We are offering cool and refreshing Rosy Thandai drink this Holi. The drink is filled with nuts along with fennel-fragrant concoction that has a natural cooling effect on the body,” says Suresh Shelar, the chef at Banjara Restaurant, Mumbai. Another budget drink at Rs. 110!
The main ingredients of thandai are rose petals, rose water, almond, sugar, milk and spices. You can either use sunflower seeds or melon seeds to prepare this drink.
Even if you could not make it to the restaurant, Chef Suresh has a little surprise! He has shared the recipe of the exclusive rose thandai with Restaurant India. Ingredients required: 2 cups boiled & chilled milk, 1/4 cup almonds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp pepper powder or 4-5 peppercorns, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1/4 cup rose water, 1 tsp cardamom seeds powder, 4 tbsp sugar and a few saffron strands.
Method: Soak the nuts and seeds in water for 5-6 hours. Strain the water and grind the ingredients until smooth. Add the milk. Strain the mixture. Add peppercorns, fennel seeds, cardamom seeds powder, saffron and rose water and mix well. Pour the thandai in serving glasses. Garnish with rose petals and dry fruit slivers. Serve chilled.
Chef Sareen Madhiyan at Tappa in Aerocity, Delhi, has come up with vegan drink - Sambuca Thandai. He says, “We have replaced milk with Soy milk. Soy is a good source of low-fat and plant-based protein. It is cholesterol-free, has less saturated fat than cow's milk and lowers the LDL in the body.”
Chef Sareen tells Restaurant India, “We have used Soy milk instead of cow milk making it a healthier choice and consumable by lactose intolerant folks as well. It's also vegan.” The Sambuca Thandai at Tappa is priced at Rs 325.
Ingredients required: 3 cups - soya Milk, 30 ml -sambuca liqueur, 5 peppercorns, 5 gm cashew nuts, 3 gm almonds, 5 gm Poppy Seeds, 5 gm Fennel seeds, 4 gm Cardamom powder, 15 gm Sugar and 1 tbsp rose water.
Method: Blanch and peel the almonds. Soak all the ingredients, except sugar, in water for about 4 hours. Grind to a fine paste. Add the paste to cold soya milk and strain through a muslin cloth. Discard the residue. Add sugar, sambuca liqueur and rose water to the strained soya milk. Chill the thandai and serve with ice.
“Thandai and Holi go along for long in my memory, wherein it has been a constant feature of the festival of colours- Holi. It is celebrated across the country and, thus, Thandai becomes most popular beverage during the festival. Since this festival is celebrated during day time and March usually being a warm month in most parts of India, Thandai comes across as a soothing beverage to beat the heat,” says Ashish Bisht, Director of Events, JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru.
JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru, added orange zest twist to the Thandai. Talking about the health benefits, Ashish further says, “Yes, as most of the ingredients used in Thandai have immense health benefits like antibacterial properties, it is good for digestion, and is rich in zinc, iron, calcium and Vitamin A.”
Another unique twist! Chef Gaurav Anand, the Executive Chef at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, says, “The special Thandai that we have this Holi is a Vegan Avocado crunchy Granola Thandai. This exquisite thandai is a melange of health and Holi.”
Talking about the healthy part, Chef Gaurav says, “It will be made up of skimmed badam milk, soaked chia seeds, almond and poppy seeds, melon seeds, fennel seeds and it is sugar-free.”
The thandai has a real punch of crunchy granola crumble in every sip and is made of avocado which is loaded with heart-healthy mono-saturated fatty acids. It has super healthy chia seeds which are rich in antioxidants, provides fibre and other minerals. Even a small quantity of soaked chia seeds contains a good amount of protein.
The literal translation of Thandai is “cool”. This drink is associated with Mahashivratri and Holi festivities. It is flavoured with rose petals, almonds fennel seeds and more.
Thandai is rich in nutrition. Rose petals are very good for digestion problems and menstrual irregularities. Almonds are loaded with healthy fats. It is also a rich source of vitamin E and is known for antioxidant effects.
The thandai served at The Culture House, Mumbai is loaded with dry fruits. “Thandai is a well-balanced Indian drink that is believed to treat ailments related to excessive body heat. Most of its ingredients are nutritious. It has a base of nuts and seeds that act as a nerve tonic. The herbs, spices and flowers used are all, reportedly, cooling and hydrating,” says Divyesh Thakkar, Director, The Culture House.
ITC’s Fabelle Exquisite Chocolates is offering a Thandai Chocolate creation this season. The Thandai chocolate creation comes with crunchy almond bits and a splash of Thandai-infused milk chocolate ganache. Sound interesting! The other variants that ITC’s Fabelle Exquisite Chocolates is offering this Holi are the Saffron chocolate and Raspberry and Coconut chocolate creations. The Saffron chocolate has a hint of saffron, a dash of pistachio slivers and white chocolate ganache while Raspberry and Coconut chocolate creation is a combination of intense Raspberry Ganache and Coulis. The Raspberry and Coconut chocolate creation also has a buttery roasted coconut crunch which is mixed into Fabelle white chocolate.
The Holi Chocolate Creations are available at select ITC Hotels in the country; it’s a limited edition. These Fabelle Exquisite Holi Chocolate boxes of three and six are priced at Rs 400 and Rs 800, respectively.
The innovation at its best! The Hilton Mumbai International Airport, is offering Thandai Cake this Holi. Executive Sous Chef Balaji Srinivasan, The Brasserie, says, “I always like keeping the basics of a dish right, Thandai is a perfect summer coolant and it is very refreshing to beat the heat, but just restricting it to a drink would not be doing justice to such a tasty dish.”
The Thandai Cake is healthy when consumed in portioned quantities due to the base of ingredients such as fennel seeds, peppercorn, watermelon seeds, rose petals, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, saffron and of course milk.
Speaking about the twist to the Thandai, Sous Chef Balaji says, “The innovation lies in making a popular beverage which is rich in taste and flavours into a cake.”
The Royal Thandai
"Thandai is one of those drinks that become very apparent around the festival of Holi. It is a very delightful beverage that not only helps beat the summer heat but is also free of artificial flavours, making it the perfect soother for the season. It is part of our culture and is extremely popular in north India. Holi is incomplete, for most of the people, without a taste of this special drink, which comes in various forms and flavours," says a chef at Barbeque Nation.
The Royal Thandai, one of the popular summer drinks, is made with a concoction of milk and sweet spices.
The essence of Indian festivals lies in the food. Every festival celebrated in India is associated with one or the other food and drink – Diwali with sweets, Ganeshotsav with Modak Holi, Durga Puja with Mishti Doi, Luchi and Holi with Gujia and Thandai. To stay ahead of their competitors, many restaurants have been experimenting with modern Indian food and serving cuisines in the most innovative ways.
Here are ten restaurants that are serving Thandai this Holi in most innovative ways one could imagine.
Refreshing and delicious, you can't celebrate Holi without Thandai. Sante Spa Cuisine's Thandai Milkshake is a must try for all who are in or visiting Mumbai this Holi. Made with Saffron, Cinnamon, Fennel Seed Powder, Cardamon seeds, Rosewater, a pinch of Black Pepper, Cashew, Almond, Pistachio and Milk, it's a host of authentic Indian flavours. What's better? The Mumbai restaurant uses Khandari (unrefined) sugar instead of the regular one to make the milkshake healthier without missing out on the taste!
Sante Spa Cuisine is located at BKC, Mumbai. Kaneesha Jain, owner of Sante Spa Cuisine, BKC says, “Our Thandai Milkshake is made in-house and perfectly complements the hot weather in Mumbai; it cools down your system internally. It is also one of the healthiest and satisfying milkshakes you can opt for during Holi to beat the heat and energise you for the festivities.”
Here comes traditional Thandai which we all enjoy during Holi, and in summers but with a healthy and exciting twist! The Red Kettle café at Westend Marg, Saidulajab in Delhi is serving Strawberry Thandai this season. Owner of The Red Kettle, Nida Khanam says, “It's for people who want to cheat their regime but within their healthy boundaries. We are serving thandai made with dry fruits, strawberries and green apple. We are also serving dry gujias.” Ever thought of this one? The Thandai along with dry gujia comes at Rs 180, a well-thought-out and budget pricing!
“In my whole life, Holi is one such festival which I enjoy more than Diwali. Colours and water-filled balloons are the main highlights. We are offering cool and refreshing Rosy Thandai drink this Holi. The drink is filled with nuts along with fennel-fragrant concoction that has a natural cooling effect on the body,” says Suresh Shelar, the chef at Banjara Restaurant, Mumbai. Another budget drink at Rs. 110!
The main ingredients of thandai are rose petals, rose water, almond, sugar, milk and spices. You can either use sunflower seeds or melon seeds to prepare this drink.
Even if you could not make it to the restaurant, Chef Suresh has a little surprise! He has shared the recipe of the exclusive rose thandai with Restaurant India. Ingredients required: 2 cups boiled & chilled milk, 1/4 cup almonds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp pepper powder or 4-5 peppercorns, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1/4 cup rose water, 1 tsp cardamom seeds powder, 4 tbsp sugar and a few saffron strands.
Method: Soak the nuts and seeds in water for 5-6 hours. Strain the water and grind the ingredients until smooth. Add the milk. Strain the mixture. Add peppercorns, fennel seeds, cardamom seeds powder, saffron and rose water and mix well. Pour the thandai in serving glasses. Garnish with rose petals and dry fruit slivers. Serve chilled.
Chef Sareen Madhiyan at Tappa in Aerocity, Delhi, has come up with vegan drink - Sambuca Thandai. He says, “We have replaced milk with Soy milk. Soy is a good source of low-fat and plant-based protein. It is cholesterol-free, has less saturated fat than cow's milk and lowers the LDL in the body.”
Chef Sareen tells Restaurant India, “We have used Soy milk instead of cow milk making it a healthier choice and consumable by lactose intolerant folks as well. It's also vegan.” The Sambuca Thandai at Tappa is priced at Rs 325.
Ingredients required: 3 cups - soya Milk, 30 ml -sambuca liqueur, 5 peppercorns, 5 gm cashew nuts, 3 gm almonds, 5 gm Poppy Seeds, 5 gm Fennel seeds, 4 gm Cardamom powder, 15 gm Sugar and 1 tbsp rose water.
Method: Blanch and peel the almonds. Soak all the ingredients, except sugar, in water for about 4 hours. Grind to a fine paste. Add the paste to cold soya milk and strain through a muslin cloth. Discard the residue. Add sugar, sambuca liqueur and rose water to the strained soya milk. Chill the thandai and serve with ice.
“Thandai and Holi go along for long in my memory, wherein it has been a constant feature of the festival of colours- Holi. It is celebrated across the country and, thus, Thandai becomes most popular beverage during the festival. Since this festival is celebrated during day time and March usually being a warm month in most parts of India, Thandai comes across as a soothing beverage to beat the heat,” says Ashish Bisht, Director of Events, JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru.
JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru, added orange zest twist to the Thandai. Talking about the health benefits, Ashish further says, “Yes, as most of the ingredients used in Thandai have immense health benefits like antibacterial properties, it is good for digestion, and is rich in zinc, iron, calcium and Vitamin A.”
Another unique twist! Chef Gaurav Anand, the Executive Chef at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, says, “The special Thandai that we have this Holi is a Vegan Avocado crunchy Granola Thandai. This exquisite thandai is a melange of health and Holi.”
Talking about the healthy part, Chef Gaurav says, “It will be made up of skimmed badam milk, soaked chia seeds, almond and poppy seeds, melon seeds, fennel seeds and it is sugar-free.”
The thandai has a real punch of crunchy granola crumble in every sip and is made of avocado which is loaded with heart-healthy mono-saturated fatty acids. It has super healthy chia seeds which are rich in antioxidants, provides fibre and other minerals. Even a small quantity of soaked chia seeds contains a good amount of protein.
The literal translation of Thandai is “cool”. This drink is associated with Mahashivratri and Holi festivities. It is flavoured with rose petals, almonds fennel seeds and more.
Thandai is rich in nutrition. Rose petals are very good for digestion problems and menstrual irregularities. Almonds are loaded with healthy fats. It is also a rich source of vitamin E and is known for antioxidant effects.
The thandai served at The Culture House, Mumbai is loaded with dry fruits. “Thandai is a well-balanced Indian drink that is believed to treat ailments related to excessive body heat. Most of its ingredients are nutritious. It has a base of nuts and seeds that act as a nerve tonic. The herbs, spices and flowers used are all, reportedly, cooling and hydrating,” says Divyesh Thakkar, Director, The Culture House.
ITC’s Fabelle Exquisite Chocolates is offering a Thandai Chocolate creation this season. The Thandai chocolate creation comes with crunchy almond bits and a splash of Thandai-infused milk chocolate ganache. Sound interesting! The other variants that ITC’s Fabelle Exquisite Chocolates is offering this Holi are the Saffron chocolate and Raspberry and Coconut chocolate creations. The Saffron chocolate has a hint of saffron, a dash of pistachio slivers and white chocolate ganache while Raspberry and Coconut chocolate creation is a combination of intense Raspberry Ganache and Coulis. The Raspberry and Coconut chocolate creation also has a buttery roasted coconut crunch which is mixed into Fabelle white chocolate.
The Holi Chocolate Creations are available at select ITC Hotels in the country; it’s a limited edition. These Fabelle Exquisite Holi Chocolate boxes of three and six are priced at Rs 400 and Rs 800, respectively.
The innovation at its best! The Hilton Mumbai International Airport, is offering Thandai Cake this Holi. Executive Sous Chef Balaji Srinivasan, The Brasserie, says, “I always like keeping the basics of a dish right, Thandai is a perfect summer coolant and it is very refreshing to beat the heat, but just restricting it to a drink would not be doing justice to such a tasty dish.”
The Thandai Cake is healthy when consumed in portioned quantities due to the base of ingredients such as fennel seeds, peppercorn, watermelon seeds, rose petals, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, saffron and of course milk.
Speaking about the twist to the Thandai, Sous Chef Balaji says, “The innovation lies in making a popular beverage which is rich in taste and flavours into a cake.”
The Royal Thandai
"Thandai is one of those drinks that become very apparent around the festival of Holi. It is a very delightful beverage that not only helps beat the summer heat but is also free of artificial flavours, making it the perfect soother for the season. It is part of our culture and is extremely popular in north India. Holi is incomplete, for most of the people, without a taste of this special drink, which comes in various forms and flavours," says a chef at Barbeque Nation.
The Royal Thandai, one of the popular summer drinks, is made with a concoction of milk and sweet spices.
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