The festival of colours, Holi, is here.

This year besides traditional fare like thandai, we bring you bring you some unconventional recipe choices.

Happy experimenting in the kitchen!

Rang Bhari Thandai

Traditional Thandai

Serves 4

~Ingredients

1 litre milk
250 gm sugar
50 gm almonds
50 gm pistachios
50 gm melon seeds
15 gm poppy seeds
A few dried rose petals
1 gm of saffron
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp peppercorn powder, crushed finely
1 tsp saunf, powdered
A few drops kewra water (readily available in stores)

Method

Reduce the milk to about 750 ml, by boiling and dissolve the sugar. Allow the milk to chill.

Grind the other ingredients to a paste in mortar and pestle.

If time-pressed you can do it in a blender but the real taste comes from manually grinding them.

The dried rose petals should be well mixed in the paste.

Soak the poppy seeds in water before grinding.

Mix the ground paste into the milk. Stir the ingredients well. Add the kewra.

Serve chilled.

Optional: You can also mix in some rose syrup, kulfi and falooda to make it like a sundae.

Text: Chef Nilesh Limaye
Design: NV Reuben

Nilesh Limaye is the Executive Sous Chef at the InterContinental The Grand, Mumbai.