Sunday, March 8, 2009

Saffron and Cardamom flavored Almond milk (Masala Milk)

Masala milk is a kind of catchall phrase which is  used to describe flavored milk. The flavors usually include cardamom, sugar and any combination of pistachios, almonds and saffron. There are many variations of this milk that I have tasted and I enjoy most of them.I started making this particular version for the first time with a view to recreating masala milk that I had tasted during the brief time we spent in Bangalore. I remember each Saturday, R and I would set out after our breakfast and walk for miles just enjoying the weather or combining a few errands with our walk. We would then inevitably head towards a sweet shop in that area that sold this masala milk that we both enjoyed. By the time we got to the store our breakfast would be long forgotten and we would have walked ourselves into a reasonable hunger. So our stop at this store would serve the dual purpose of enjoying the milk and filling us up, at least until we got back home and had our lunch.

We both enjoy this masala milk just as much now, as we did then, and I find that this is a good way to indulge a little without overdoing the sweet part. This is also a great way to sneak in some healthy nuts and saffron along with milk into our diet. If you have never tried this milk and you like the flavors of almond and saffron you should try this, I am pretty sure you will enjoy this delicious beverage :-)




Ingredients and method to make the Masala Milk

12 raw unsalted almonds
2 tsp raw unsalted cashew pieces
2 tsp unsalted pistachio
2 very small pinches of good quality saffron (about 3-4 strands per cup)
2 tsp of sugar (or according to taste) ( I used brown sugar but any sugar should be fine)
1/4 tsp cardamom seed powder
2 cups of milk ( I used 2 % but any milk should be fine)

Soak 12 almonds in hot water for about an hour along with 2 tsp cashews and 2 tsp unsalted pistachio.

Soak 2 very small pinches of saffron in 1/4 cup of warm milk.

Blanch the almonds and drain the other nuts. Then grind the almonds along with other nuts in the milk used to soak the saffron until smooth. 

Heat the balance of the milk (I heated the milk in the microwave), mix the nut + milk + saffron mixture to it and add sugar and 1/4 tsp cardamom seed powder.

Mix well and serve hot (in winter I serve this hot and in summer I serve it cold) It tastes delicious in both ways.

Notes

You can serve this beverage cold too, just cool to room temperature and chill in the refrigerator for  a few hours and serve cold

Blanch the almonds means that after soaking the almonds in hot water, remove the skin. It is pretty easy to do that and once soaked for an hour the  skin comes out easily.

If you use the stove top to heat the milk, place in a heavy bottomed pan and stir continuously on low heat so that it does not burn. If the milk burns it will ruin the taste of this beverage.

With the quantity of sugar I used the milk was mildly sweet, so adjust the sweetness according to your taste.

This almond milk is off to the Lets go Nuts- Almonds event being hosted by JZ. 

50 comments :

LifenSpice said...

that's a good recipe idea when having guests at home. love to drink this cold!

Anonymous said...

nice recipe :)
When I was staying in a hostel during my undergrad, we used to get this on Sundays after a breakfast of masala dosai... And I don't know what they put in the milk.. But we all used to doze off immediately after breakfast... and wake up in time for lunch... your post brought back memories of those lovely days :)

Varsha Vipins said...

Abs love this Usha..:)

indosungod said...

I always love the sound of masala milk. I am sure the kids will love this cold or warm.

Amy said...

Mmmm sounds absolutely delicious.

Poornima Nair said...

Thats a great recipe...looks delicious...must give this a try...we love almond milk.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

healthy and delicious.. what more can you ask for? looks very tempting usha.

suvi said...

i used to aboslutely love this...had so much of it when was expecting, that I can't manage to have it anymore!!

Sara said...

This looks delicious, saffron adds great flavor and such a beautiful color.

Suparna said...

I totally love masala milk...yumm so rich and filling! nice recipe presentation :)
Pls collect your award from my blog dear.
TC

Deepa Hari said...

absolutely delicious Usha...i love it...Nice recipe.

Cham said...

In tamil nadu, night time tea shops are very popular for masala milk! Good one!

Unknown said...

looks yumm..this is one drink ,,i love it hot or cold..long time i made this..will make it today..

Dershana said...

Usha, I make this the same way except for on days when the 'fibre' bhooth hits me hard and I decide to dunk in the almonds skin on :-)

I love it cold!

Lavanya said...

milk looks lovely usha..looks delicious..i will give a try :)

Sharmila said...

That's a great glassful Usha! :-)

gtyuk said...

Badam milk looks perfect, would love to finish this winter with this warm goodness!

VG said...

Looks delicious. Pls come over to collect your award from my blog.

Shama Nagarajan said...

delicious drink

Anonymous said...

Rich and delicious....!!!
Good to add this to my kids recipe... :)

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow slrup slrup slrup.....yummy....

Vikis Kitchen said...

wow that looks delicious dear. Slurp!

Vikis Kitchen said...

Looks delicious dear. Slurp!

Anonymous said...

mmm..drooling..yummy drink Usha

Laavanya said...

Masala milk is always such a comforting indulgence for me... looks so good.

Finla said...

I am not a milk drinker, but flavoured like this i am sure i will like to drink them too.
Bokmarking them.

Anonymous said...

I do not like milk, but a chilled glass of this I can have. I make this very often, but i see u have added the other nuts too.. should try that next time. must taste divine.

Sum Raj said...

woo loved the way ui hve presentated...good entry..

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

Love it.I think that freezing this flavored milk will make for a nice kulfi too:)

Mangala Bhat said...

wow ! cool nice recipe Thanks usha for the recipe

Manju said...

ohh..love it!! we used to get this bottled in a store near our house, and i emptied my pocket money on this when i was a kid..but mom dint exectly mind..afterall it was milk!! :)

Uma said...

wow, masala milk! looks wonderful Usha! Can I take that glass? Slurp! Yummy! Btw, you can send this to Let's go nuts event at JZ.

AnuSriram said...

I love this! Very nutritious.. Can be had either hot or cold!

Anonymous said...

Very healthy and delicious drink! Love the recipe :)

Usha said...

Thanks all of you for dropping by and your sweet comments.

Hey Indhu,there could have been something in the masala dosa that was making you all sleep too:-) Just kidding, I have no idea why drinking this would make you sleep, luckily for me it does not effect me similarly :-)

Sara I agree, I absolutely love both the color and flavor of saffron !

Suparna, thanks so much for the award :-)

Lavanya, do try it,hope you enjoy it as much as we do !

VG thanks so much for the award!

Thanks for reminding me about the event Uma, I have now sent it there:-)

Priya Suresh said...

Lovely....i too prepared masala milk long back, just love this like anything...yummmyyyyyy!!!

Pam said...

This looks and sounds so tasty!

Uj said...

This was usually served at many weddings. I personally prefer the cold version of this than the warm one. Looks delicious

Hema said...

Looks yum..I like the recipe...

Preety said...

OMG..i think i can smell the wonderful aroma of milk from the comp itself:)

Chutneytales said...

Love almond milk soo much..It looks DELISH!!

Chitra said...

ooooh,thats a lovely drink usha:)sure,kids will love it and healthy too:)thanx for dropping by my blog and 4 ur sweet comment,plz be around:)

Recipeswap said...

Lovely milk and the color makes it so much more inviting!

Deepthi Shankar said...

I love having this cold .. very delicious

Shivali said...

Masala milk yum great for holi too.

Anonymous said...

Saffron is pure bliss!!!! The recipe looks fantastic!

Sukanya Yogesh said...

I love masala milk. Makes me realize its been quite some time that I havent made it at home.Looks rich with the saffron strands.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Usha, for sending it to my event. It sure looks delicious, I cant wait to try it at home!! YUMM..

Dibs said...

This is sooo yummy! The home made one is always better than the instant poiwders available nowadays!

ARUNA said...

wow this a great recipe when guests r around!!Will try this after doodh peda!

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