Holi isn't complete without the spiced, milky drink. Here's where to get the best of it in Mumbai
Illustration/Uday Mohite
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Bandra's takeaway
On one day of the year, the Khane Khas restaurant in Bandra turns into a takeaway. This is so that the interiors can be turned into a thandai-making mini-factory.
It is for Holi that the restaurant also changes its operational hours - the previous night, they close by midnight, so the staff can start with the preparation of the thandai. "The process begins with the grinding of the mawa.
An archival picture of the Khane Khas Holi celebrations
The milk and other ingredients get added at about 4 am; this mixture is boiled and then cooled down. The first bottle is ready to go out by 8.30 am," says Atul Sahni, a partner at Khane Khas.
Service goes on till 3 pm, because as Sahni adds, it is also the one day in the year that the restaurant stays shut in the evening.
Khane Khas launched on October 1989 and has been serving thandai every Holi since. Earlier, they would use matkas. These days, they use recyclable plastic bottles.
AT: Shop 4, Silver Croft, Bandra (W). Delivery to Bandra, Khar and Santa Cruz.
CALL: 26006970
COST: Rs 200 (one litre)
Festive box. Pics/Rane Ashish
New entrant
The special, limited-edition Paper Boat Thandai is filled with the richness of cardamom, fennel, and black pepper, and loaded with almonds, melon seeds, and khus khus.
It is their way of paying tribute to the memories associated with the drink. "In the long history of Holi, our generation is probably the first to be unable to carry forward the tradition of thandai. This is because of a multitude of reasons: we've moved away from home, we hanker after how Mama would make it, we don't have the tools or expertise to make it to our satisfaction, and of course, making thandai in the traditional format is a long, painstaking, and frequently intimidating recipe," says Parvesh Debuka, marketing head, Hector Beverages.
The creamy drink has a lasting aftertaste of cardamom and tastes best when had chilled. They call it an instant energy booster - the melon seeds are enriched with protein, iron, and vitamins, and fennel, pepper, and cardamom are known for their digestive properties.
AT: All major retail outlets, grocery stores and online
COST: Rs 40
Part of thali's welcome
When you walk in and order the special Holi thali at Khandani Rajdhani, expect to be served a tall steel glass of refreshing, cooling thandai. "Traditionally served during the festival, thandai is savoured by people across age groups. Holi marks the beginning of summer, hence, a refreshing milk-based drink is much loved," says Maharaj Jodharam Choudhary, corporate chef. "The ingredients used to make the drink have a cooling effect and so it goes well with the season."
Their thandai is made with milk, saffron threads, poppy seeds, watermelon seeds, cardamom, dried rose petals, peppercorns, cashew, pista, and almonds. It is chilled and topped with a few drops of rose water. Served with the thali, there are no extra charges for the drink.
FROM March 10 to 13
AT: All Khandani Rajdhani outlets.
CALL: 65226074 (Ghatkopar)
Off the rack
Kesaria Thandai from Shree Guruji Products is made with saffron, almonds, black pepper, cardamom, nuts and seeds, fennel and rose water. Today, it can be picked off the shelf at supermarkets or bought online but it's recipe goes back to the 1980s. "My great grandfather was a writer, poet and Ayurvedarcharya.
He was respectfully called guruji by people, hence the name. My family initially started selling 150 Ayurvedic products as a small scale business in Kolkata. When branching out, we decided to focus on one product - thandai and sherbets," says Tushar Sharma, CEO, Guruji.
The thandai recipe is a secret, one that belonged to Sharma's great grandfather. "Over the years, we have made changes but haven't tampered with the nutrition value of the product," he adds.
They recommend having it with chilled milk and crushed ice.
available Leading supermarkets
LOG ON TO: shreeguruji.com
COST: Rs 250 (700 ml)
Grandmother's recipe delivered
Since 2012, interior designer Anaya Jain has been making thandai throughout the year. It's a recipe that's been passed down from her grandmother to her mother and finally to her. "When I used to serve thandai to family and friends, they loved it. Soon, I started getting requests to make it commercially," she says.
Although she makes thandai through the year, her Holi orders start coming in from the end of February. "I source my ingredients from Punjab - rose petals that my mother dries and sends me, poppy seeds, nuts, and watermelon and cantaloupe seeds.
The cardamom and pepper are got from Kerala. It is the ingredients that add the aroma and flavour to the thandai, making it different," says Jain, who also conducts cooking classes.
Delivery to Central Mumbai.
CALL: 9029494346 (five days notice required)
COSTL: Rs 585 (half litre)
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