Karak chai

Ingredients

• 500 mlwater
• 4 tspstrong Assam-style loose black tea (Alghazaleen or Lipton yellow label leaf)
• 6green cardamom pods, cracked open
• 1x 200 g tin evaporated milk (or 250 ml full-fat milk)
• 3–4 tbspsugar, to taste
• 1small piece cinnamon bark, optional
• 2thin slices fresh ginger, optional, for karak zanjabeel
• A pinch of saffron threads, optional

Directions

1. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan with the cracked cardamom and the cinnamon, if using, and let it bubble 2 minutes so the pods release their oil.
2. Add the loose tea and boil hard for 3–4 minutes; the liquid should go opaque mahogany, well past the point where you would stop for English tea.
3. Pour in the evaporated milk and the sugar and stir until dissolved. Real karak is sweet, so do not cut the sugar to nothing.
4. Bring back to the boil over medium heat, watching constantly, and let it climb the pan until it threatens to boil over.
5. Pull the pan off the heat the second it rises, let it settle for 20 seconds, then return it and repeat this rise-and-settle three or four times over about 6 minutes. This is what thickens and darkens karak.
6. Add the saffron and the ginger, if using, in the last minute only, off the boil, so the aroma is not cooked away.
7. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug from a height, which aerates the tea and puts a fine foam on top.
8. Serve scalding in small glass cups (istikanas) or paper cups, with the foam intact, alongside dates or luqaimat.

Technique

• Karak is boiled, not steeped. The tannin bite from hard boiling is the whole point and is what stands up to the evaporated milk.
• Evaporated milk is what cafeteria karak in Dubai and Sharjah is actually made with; fresh milk gives a thinner, paler, less caramel-tasting cup.
• Cardamom is the default. Anything else, including ginger and saffron, is a named variant rather than the standard cup.

Substitutions

• No evaporated milk: use 250 ml whole milk plus 1 tbsp milk powder to get near the same body.
• Tea bags work in a pinch. Use 4 strong bags and squeeze them, but the leaf gives a rounder colour.

Variations

• Karak zafaran, saffron-scented and pale gold, sold at Gulf specialist stalls.
• Karak zanjabeel, heavy on fresh ginger, drunk in winter.
• Chai haleeb, the milder milk tea without the long hard boil.

History

Kuwaiti cafeterias sell it around the clock; the habit came from South Asian workers’ tea stalls.

Frequently asked questions

What is Karak chai?

Karak chai is a drink from Kuwait: sweet cardamom milk tea sold in small paper cups day and night. Kuwaiti cafeterias sell it around the clock; the habit came from South Asian workers’ tea stalls.

How long does Karak chai take to make?

Karak chai takes 5 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 small cups. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Karak chai?

Yes, within limits. No evaporated milk: use 250 ml whole milk plus 1 tbsp milk powder to get near the same body. Tea bags work in a pinch. Use 4 strong bags and squeeze them, but the leaf gives a rounder colour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Karak chai?

Add the loose tea and boil hard for 3–4 minutes; the liquid should go opaque mahogany, well past the point where you would stop for English tea.