How to Prepare Bhang ki Thandai

Holi is the festival of colors. It is also a time when enthusiasts prepare Bhang ki Thandai- a drink popular in many parts of North India which is made by mixing bhang with thandai, a cold drink prepared with a mixture of almonds, spices, milk and sugar.

During my days at BIT Mesra, our hostel cook Shivaji had once prepared buckets full of Bhang ki Thandai for a selected group. By virtue of having a room in the infamous 'Baba lobby', I had access to copious amounts of the drink. It was during this experience that I was introduced to the intoxicating drink for the first time. The last thing I recall after downing a few glasses is sitting on my bed and watching my wall clock indefinitely. It was 10 minutes before my Compiler Design mid term that a friend, banging on my door, was able to wake me up in time. I sprinted in my night T shirt, shorts and flip flops to the exam room only to be greeted by classmates with an amused look. I got an A in the subject.

Last evening I, along with a few bored friends, tried reliving in Northern Virginia, what it felt to consume the relished drink back home. Friends, great Bhang Thandai, poker and lots of sweets - the best Holi I have had since leaving India - and that too without any color. At 3 AM in the morning, I could vouch that theories about uncontrolled laughter after consuming Bhang might be true.

Wiki has this to say:
"It is also believed to help freshen the intellect and give alertness to the body and gaiety to the mind."

Umm..I am not sure if I agree with the last part though :D. For enthusiasts who might be interested in recreating the perfect blend, here is the recipe I used (we used 8 times the poppy seeds than is recommended in the recipe below and surprisingly none of us was drunk...(hick)..TRUST ME!). The preparation is not all that hard - alternatively, you just have to give me a ring! :-)

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Bhaang is prepared by grounding the buds and leaves of Cannabis using a mortar and pestle into a green paste. It is mixed with milk, ghee, and spices to prepare a nutritious, refreshing drink known as Thandai, which is intoxicating in nature.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 liter - Water
• 1 1/2 cups - Sugar
• 1 cup - Milk
• 1 tbsp - Almonds
• 1 tbsp - Watermelon/Cantaloupe seeds (dried and skinned)
• 1/2 tbsp - Poppy seeds
  
• 1/2 tbsp - Aniseed
• 1/2 tsp - Cardamom powder
• 1 tsp - Peppercorns (whole)
• 1/4 cup - Dried or fresh rose petals (Gulkand variety)

Method:

• Soak sugar in 1/2 liter of water and all other dry ingredients in 2 cups of water for at least 2 hours.
• Grind all soaked ingredients (not sugar) to a very fine paste.
• Mix remaining water to the paste and strain it using a strong muslin strainer to extract the liquid into a vessel until the residue becomes dry.
• Add milk and sugar to the extracted liquid.
• Mix the cardamom powder in the milk.
• Chill for an hour of two before serving.
• Makes about 8 glasses.