Thandai

Method

1. 1
   • almonds100 g
   • pistachios40 g
   • water5 dl
   • fennel seeds1 tsp

   Soak the nuts and fennel — Put the almonds, pistachios and fennel seeds in a bowl, pour over the cold water and leave to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. The nuts should swell and give slightly when pressed.

   ⏱4 hr
2. 2
   • almonds100 g
   • milk1 l
   • saffron1 pinch

   Peel almonds, bloom saffron — Drain the nuts and slip the brown skins off the almonds — they should pop out with a light pinch. Stir the saffron into 2 tablespoons of the cold milk and set aside to bleed to a deep orange.

3. 3
   • milk1 l
   • fennel seeds1 tsp
   • ground cardamom1 tsp
   • black pepper½ tsp

   Blend to a smooth paste — Blend the drained nuts and fennel with the cardamom, black pepper and about 200 ml of the milk until you have a smooth, pale paste with no gritty specks left — stop and scrape the sides twice.

4. 4
   • milk1 l
   • white sugar100 g

   Sweeten and strain — Whisk the paste into the remaining milk along with the sugar, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Strain through a fine sieve set over a jug, pressing the pulp hard with the back of a ladle to squeeze out every drop.

5. 5
   • milk1 l
   • saffron1 pinch
   • rose water1 tsp

   Perfume and chill — Stir in the saffron milk and the rose water, then chill for at least 2 hours. The spices keep opening up in the cold, so it tastes noticeably rounder after resting.

   ⏱2 hr
6. 6
   • pistachios40 g
   • saffron1 pinch
   • ice cube8

   Serve over ice — Stir well, as the nut solids settle, and pour over ice cubes into tall glasses. Finish each with a scattering of chopped pistachios and a few saffron threads.