There is nothing like a fresh glass of chilled Thandai on Holi! But, if you are willing to take some steps forward and impress your guests with your culinary skills, the flavour of thandai can be in your ice cream, cheesecake or even a galette. How? The best chefs from the industry are here to help!
1.Thandai Rabdi Ice Cream
By Chef Nitin Mathur, Taj Santacruz Mumbai
Ingredients: 1 cup Rabdi, 1/2 cup Thandai mixture, 2 tablespoon gelatine, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 pinch saffron, 2 tablespoon milk, 1/3 cup fresh cream, 1 tablespoon rose water, 1 tablespoon rose essence, rose petals for garnish (as needed), pistachios for garnish (as garnish)
Method:
• Make a smooth paste of the following - soaked almonds, a handful of cashews, a tablespoon of melon seeds, a tablespoon of poppy seeds, 2-3 cardamoms, a tablespoon of fennel seeds, a tablespoon of pistachios, ½ tablespoon of black pepper. Grind everything together into a paste.
• Further, in a mixing bowl blend the following - 1 cup of rabdi (reduced 1-litre milk with 2 tablespoons of sugar), 1/2 cup of thandai mixture, a pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tablespoons of milk, 1/3 cup of fresh cream, 1 teaspoon of rose water, a teaspoon of rose essence and 2-3 tablespoon of sugar. Mix everything well.
• In a small bowl, take a tablespoon of gelatine and mix it with 2 tablespoons of hot water. Proceed to mix this bloomed gelatine in the rabdi mixture.
• Now pour this thandai-rabdi mixture into the container and leave it to set in the freezer for 6-8 hrs.
• Scoop it with a scooper and garnish with pistachios and saffron/ Kesar.
• Serve chilled garnishing with rose petals for a delightful experience
2. Thandai Cheesecake
By Chef Sundeep Nunes, Pastry Chef, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel
Ingredients: Gujiya sweet - 15 pcs, Cream cheese - 1300 gms, Amul cream - 1000 gms, Eggs - 10 nos, Corn flour - 50 gms, Castor sugar - 600 gms, Vanilla extract - 10 gms, Salt - 4 pinch, Thandai Syrup - 300 gm
Method:
• Start with making a cheesecake base by crushing Gujiya with a rolling pin
• Line the ring with parchment paper on a small tray, put crushed gujiya crumble and spread then press to make a thin base.
• Pass from the oven to make dry and crisp. Remove and let it cool down.
• To make a cheesecake mixture, use the creaming method, mix cream cheese, cornflour, sugar, vanilla and salt together to smooth consistency. Add eggs gradually mixing, to avoid lumps. Lastly, add Thandai Syrup and Amul cream (gradually mixing).
• Pour the mixture over the Gujiya base and bake at 160 degrees for around 35 to 40 minutes in a water bath, till the skewer comes out clean.
• Decorate as required and serve.
3. Thandai Apple Galette
By Executive Chef Merajuddin Ansari, Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai
Ingredients:
For the pastry: 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 stick butter (cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled), 3 tablespoons ice water, 1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
For the filling: 125g ricotta, 3 tablespoon Thandai spice mix 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 large apple or 3 small ones, peeled, seed removed, sliced into 1/4 inch wedges, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 2 tbsp. pistachio dust, Thandai spice mix, 5-6 almonds, blanched and peeled, 3-4 pistachio, blanched and peeled, 2-3 cashew nuts, soaked, 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, 1 tsp. magaz (melon seeds) (soaked), 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds (optional)(soaked), 1/8 tsp cardamom powder or two fresh cardamom pods crushed (skin removed), 3 black peppercorns
Note: Soak all the things under Thandai spice mix for at least an hour
Method
• Before you start with the recipe, keep your flour and cut-butter in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
• Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and keep pulsing till you get pea-size crumbs. It doesn't have to be consistent pea-size all around.
• Sprinkle in the cold water and pulse just until the dough is moistened. You don't want to pulse too much at this point.
• Turn the crumbs onto a work surface and bring them together into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• On a work surface spread out parchment paper and flour it well. Roll out the pastry on it to an 11 inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry along with the parchment paper to a baking tray. Chill for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grind all the ingredients under spice mix.
• Stir the Thandai spice mix and sugar with ricotta and keep aside. You might want to add some more sugar based on preference. Spread out the ricotta on the pastry and arrange the apples slightly overlapping. Fold up the pastry over the apples, leaving most of the apple uncovered.
• Brush the pastry with the egg wash. Sprinkle the tart lightly with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and pistachio dust. Freeze the tart until solid for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour (my oven has been acting all weird lately!) or until the pastry is deeply browned.
• Let it cool on a cooling rack. Serve with a sprinkle of pistachio dust or salted caramel.