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Kashmiri Chai
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Kashmiri Chai

Course Drinks
Cuisine Pakistani
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Aerating Time 7 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Author Sarah Mir

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. 
    Kashmiri Chai Kahwa Ingredients in a pot
  • 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.
    A metal ladle holds up a portion of cooked seaweed above a steaming pot of broth on a stovetop, reminiscent of the delicate preparation seen in traditional Pink tea.
  • 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. 
    A ladle pours rich, reddish-brown sauce back into a steaming metal pot on a stovetop. The pot, darkly stained, evokes the warmth of brewing Kashmiri Chai, while the softly blurred background adds to the comforting scene.
  • 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 
    A hand pours milk from a cream-colored jug into a saucepan filled with dark red Kashmiri Chai, on a stovetop with a wooden-handled pot.

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!