Have a Bhaang this Summer

[motorhead]

I love these trip reports.

Head ‘Bhaang’ing

Pune Newsline - Pune,India, 15th March 2006

Be it filmi parties or your own Holi bash in the building compound, people are getting high on bhaang. The traditional cannabis beverage, made of the leaves and flowers of the plant, is traced to the Mughal era where drawings often showed kings of the period using it as an intoxicant. While hermits have counted on bhaang for their spiritual flourish,age-old ayurveda has also used cannabis to cure sunstroke and dysentery. Indian chefs have tried various bhaang innovations— chutney, pakora and lassi. Bhaang Thandai has been made popular by mixing it with paste of almonds, some spices, milk and sugar.

Maria Goretti :A few years ago my husband and I hosted a Holi party. My cook sourced all the ingredients and made bhaang pakoras. We had such a blast, guests had to leave in my pyjamas.

Kiaho Chindhy: Last year I had three bhaang laddoos and went on a laughter trip instantly — it was my first experience. I danced uncontrollably, till my friends literally had to haul me home. I remember having crashed into bed for 15 hours.

VJ Gaurav: Two years ago, I went for a Holi party at my freinds house and he offered me prasad. It looked like gulkand and I took a generous scoop. Ten minutes later I knew something wasn’t right. When I got home, I thought my fan was moving faster than it ever did. In fact, the whole ceiling was moving and when I got up to switch off the fan, I saw that it wasn’t even on.

DJ Anish: The way you react after consuming bhaang depends on your state of mind. After consuming bhaang last year, I firmly believed I was the happiest man alive and that nothing wrong could ever happen to me. I laughed till wee hours of the morning.
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Makes me want to have a bhaang party this summer! It seems like a great way to enjoy cannabis socially with friends. OO just picture it-- mid July, dusk, bbq steaks, sheep frolicking in the meadow, bon-fire cracklin', ice cold bhaang, sunset, and your favorite tunes thumpin' in the back ground. heaven.

already posted elsewhere but anyways-
heres the recipe:
Flavoured bhang drink
Ingredients
2 cups water
1 ounce marijuana (fresh leaves and flowers of a female plant preferred)
4 cups warm milk
2 tablespoons blanched and chopped almonds
1/8 teaspoon garam masala (a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamon)
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 to 1 teaspoon rosewater
1 cup sugar

Method
Bring the water to a rapid boil and pour into a clean teapot. Remove any seeds or twigs from the marijuana, add it to the teapot and cover. Let this brew for about 7 minutes.
Now strain the water and marijuana through a piece of muslin cloth, collect the water and save.

Take the leaves and flowers and squeeze between your hands to extract any liquid that remains. Add this to the water.
Place the leaves and flowers in a mortar and add 2 teaspoons warm milk. Slowly but firmly grind the milk and leaves together. Gather up the marijuana and squeeze out as much milk as you can. Repeat this process until you have used about 1/2 cup of milk (about 4 to 5 times). Collect all the milk that has been extracted and place in a bowl. By this time the marijuana will have turned into a pulpy mass.

Add the chopped almonds and some more warm milk. Grind this in the mortar until a fine paste is formed. Squeeze this paste and collect the extract as before. Repeat a few more times until all that is left are some fibers and nut meal. Discard the residue.

Combine all the liquids that have been collected, including the water the marijuana was brewed in. Add to this the garam masala, dried ginger and rosewater. Add the sugar and remaining milk.

Chill, serve, and enjoy.