A fool proof authentic Kashmiri Chai recipe with clear step by step instructions that will help you become a Kashmiri Chai maestro! Also included: my must know tips and tricks, fixes, and a cheat sheet for scaling it up or down!
Most of the Kashmiri Chai I have had in my life has been served to me in styrofoam cups. Sometimes it was ladled into them late at night at winter time mehndis with the pulsing rhythm of dance performances in the background and others it was graciously filled by a family member while the loud buzz of excited chatter enveloped the room. My love for Kashmiri Chai may find its origins in winter weddings, but my teachers were the family members who have been making it their entire lives.
Pssst another great cozy drink idea is my Phitti Hui Coffee or Whipped Coffee with the best time saving hack!
Why do you call it Pakistani Kashmiri Chai?
The qualifier exists because what we call Kashmiri Chai is actually not entirely authentic to Kashmir.
Kashmiris make a beautiful beverage called Noon (salty) Chai which is decidedly savoury.
This does not pretend to be that!
Truth: I used to call it Karachi Style Kashmiri Chai, but then my Lahori friends and those from other parts of Pakistan pointed out that they too make it exactly this way!
Getting the right Ingredients
Kashmiri Green Tea Leaves - the star, please buy tea leaves labeled as Kashmiri for optimal results OR if they are unavailable then I have been told by friends who use this recipe that any strong Middle Eastern brand of green tea works too!
Baking Soda - this is there to facilitate the pinkness, some recipes will use a lot more, but in my extensive testing and retesting I have learnt that unless you are using more whole spices to mask the aftertaste the baking soda does leave an unpleasant metallic taste. It is also NOT traditionally used and a modern day inclusion
Milk: The milk affects both colour and taste - generally I prefer evaporated milk here for flavour, but whole milk produces the best color. I do know of people who use half n half as well, but that is a smidge rich for my taste.
Why is Kashmiri Tea pink?
Science my friends is a wonderful thing. During the first cook the green tea leaves react with alkaline baking soda to create a maroon base for the tea. Then when you add ice cold water you essentially shock the tea into preserving its color, and then aerate to enhance it.
Level with me: Do I need to cook it for this long?
Short answer: YES.
The flavour difference between Kashmiri Chai that is correctly brewed and isn’t, is the difference between stove top chai and chai made with boiling water and a teabag. As someone who officially has made every iteration of this recipe on the internet I can assure you this is the best.
As the tea leaves for this Pink Tea simmer away they release their flavour into the kahwa. Given that the entire simmering process is hands off please let the tea leaves do their thing and give you the wonderful cup that you deserve.
What to watch for when making Pink Tea
Kashmiri Chai is often over complicated, but let me break it down for you to show you how straightforward it really is.
Combine the ingredients and simmer and get this rich maroon tea. Without any effort. Yay us!
Now do a smidge of work, remove the tea leaves, add your cold water and ice and aerate the heck out of it and watch the tea mixture get this beautiful dark pink foam as you do it. This is the only part that isn't hands off and I suggest you give it time. Like 5-8 minutes is great.
TIP: I often do this in my sink to contain stains from splashing!
Storing the Kahwa:
This recipe (which can be easily halved) makes a generous amount of kahwa. You can store it in the fridge for upto two weeks, but please note the color does dull over time.
Kahwa Cheat Sheet: How to scale the recipe
However, if you want to make a smaller quantity refer to the graphic below!
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Kashmiri Chai
Here are some must read tips if you are making it for the first time!
- Shock with the coldest water you can to produce that beautiful color
- Don't skimp on the aerating
- Make sure you actually simmer the kahwa and milk together for at least 2 minutes.
- Test a small quantity first so that you know the tea ‘works' and if it needs trouble shooting (see below).
Troubleshooting
- Help! It isn’t Pink!: okay folks, deep breath. Odds are it still tastes fine, but if you want you can always add a little more baking soda to your kahwa (tiny amounts please) to see if that helps the colour. Too much and you will ruin the taste!
- Too late - it’s a Baking Soda Flavored Nightmare: Oops. Okay so here’s what you can do - we are going to add a few more pods of lightly bruised cardamom and fat pinches of nuts, give it a simmer, and then strain out the nuts and cardamom pods. The combination of the two should cut the bitter after taste.
Oh and if you're wondering what to serve with Kashmiri Chai can I just say that this Cream Cheese Pound Cake is PERFECT with it! No cream cheese? No problem. Try this Yogurt Cake instead!
If you make this recipe do take a few seconds to rate it! I would love to see your recreations so tag me on instagram @flourandspiceblog !
Kashmiri Chai
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Kashmiri Tea Leaves
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¼-1/2 tsp salt
- 5-6 Cardamom Pods
- 1 Badiyan ka Phool (Optional)
- 1 small piece of cinnamon stick (optional)
- 2 cups ice cold water (I mix mine with ice)
- finely chopped pistachios & almonds
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the ice cold water to a pot with 8 cups of cold tap water.
- Bring to a boil, simmer for one hour or until the liquid is halved, it's okay if it reduces a little more but please do cook it down.
- Sieve the green tea leaves out.
- Now get ready for a work out. Pour the ice cold water from a height into the tea concentrate.
- Pour back and forth from bowl to bowl or use a ladle to drop it back into the bowl from a height to aerate the tea. I suggest doing this in your sink or a prepped surface area since it does splash a bit.
- After a full 5-8 minutes of doing this the foam the tea produces will take on a rich bodied pink
- Bring the tea mix back to a boil, bring to a boil. The "kahwa" is ready.
- To make each cup of tea: Take a ladle (about ⅓ of a cup) of the kahwa, bring to a boil, add ⅔ cup milk and a splash of water. At this stage I like to throw in an extra cardamom pod too. Cook for 2-3 minutes and serve topped with a scant spoon of crushed pistachios
Video
Notes
- This makes a generous amount of kahwa, for smaller quantities refer to the infographic in the post!
- In the original recipe I had suggested cooking for two hours for the large quantity, but after experimenting a few times with the quantities I think about an hour or until the kahwa halves works
- If this is your first time making it then I suggest you read the blog post, especially the tips and tricks section!
Like Kashmiri Chai? How about Phitti Hui Coffee? It's another favourite drink of ours - especially when you can make it in minutes! Also don't forget to save the Pink Chai recipe for later!
Emily says
Wow, this Kashmiri Chai recipe looks absolutely authentic and foolproof! I love how detailed the step-by-step instructions are—can't wait to try it myself and become a Chai maestro. The tips and tricks are really helpful, especially the fix for color and flavor. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe! Also, I’ll definitely check outmy game and support my team—looking forward to enjoying some delicious chai with it. Cheers!
Christy says
Made this a few times and cannot get the flavor to come through. When I add the milk it just tastes like warm milk. I boiled it for at least an hour and still nothing.
Sarah Mir says
Hey Christy! thanks for sharing that - let's see if we can troubleshoot.
1.) what brand of tea leaves are you using
2.) is the colour of the tea that rich maroon before you add the milk?
3.) have you played around with the aromatics?
Christy says
I used Vahdam Kashmiri Kawa Tea and boiled it for over an hour. It was a dark brown by the time I was done. I tried adding additional cardamom pods the second time but did not note a difference. I may try a different tea to see if that works.
Iqra says
What brand of leaves do you use ? I’ve tried a few with mixed success in getting the right color.
Sarah Mir says
Hi Iqra! I use handi brand but my friend uses arab green teas with this recipe and she has the same results. There are lots of troubleshooting tips in this post but the colour is a function of two things: the baking soda and the aerating with ice - the combination makes it work, let me know how it goes!