Name: Celebration pistachio and saffron milk
Yield: Serves 3–4
Ingredients: 3 tbsp jaggery or raw honey; ¼ tsp ground ginger; ⅛ tbsp fennel seeds (optional); 1 tbsp raw cashews, plus extra for garnish; 8–10 strands of saffron; 2 tbsp raw pistachios, plus extra for garnish; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon seeds of 5 cardamom pods, ground, or ¼–½ tsp ground cardamom; 120 ml (½ cup) water (optional); 250 ml (1 cup) whole milk or non-dairy milk, such as drinking coconut milk, almond milk or rice milk; ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper; ⅛ tbsp cloves; ¼ tsp poppy seeds

Preparation info

Serves
3–4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

East by West

By Jasmine Hemsley

Published 2017

About

I first tasted this drink during Holi (the festival of colour and love celebrated in the spring) in India. Served in little earthenware mugs and as delicious as a milkshake but with other worldly flavours, thanks to all the spices, it was a flavour I would never forget! Apparently it’s usually spiked with a very happy marijuana called bhang, making it particularly celebratory.

This traditional drink, known as kesar pista or thandai, is traditionally served chilled, but Ayurveda reco