Kashmiri Chai

Ingredients

The decoction

• 4 tablespoonsKashmiri green tea leaves
• or 4 tablespoons gunpowder green tea
• 1.5 litreswater
• 1 teaspoonbicarbonate of soda
• 6green cardamom pods, crushed
• 1star anise, optional
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt

To shock

• 500 mlice-cold water

To finish

• 1 litrewhole milk
• sugar, to taste
• or salt, for the Kashmiri style

To serve

• crushed pistachios
• flaked almonds
• a pinch of ground cardamom

Directions

1. Put the water in a wide heavy pot. Add the green tea leaves to it. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the pot. Add the crushed cardamom and star anise.
2. Add the salt to the water as well. Bring it up to a rolling boil. Use one teaspoon of it and no more. Too much gives a soapy metallic taste. Let it boil hard and uncovered. Every few minutes, scoop it with a ladle. Lift the ladle high above the pot. Pour the tea back in a long stream.
3. Repeat that ten or twelve times each round. Judging the colour takes patience. Keep aerating it throughout that time. Do not judge the colour before the milk.
4. Let it reduce down as it boils away. It should come down to about a third. Top up with a little water if it reduces too far. Pour the ice-cold water in all at once. Let it boil once more for five minutes.
5. Strain the decoction through a fine sieve. Press the leaves against the mesh. Discard all of the spent leaves. The decoction keeps three days refrigerated. Heat the milk in a separate pan. Bring the milk up to a full boil. Add the strained decoction to it.
6. Use about one part decoction to two of milk. It should turn a clear pale pink. Adjust the proportion to get the shade you want. Add sugar for the Pakistani sweet version. Add salt for the Kashmiri version. Do not add both salt and sugar to it. Taste it and adjust the seasoning. Serving it is always done piping hot.
7. Pour it into small cups or glasses. Scatter crushed pistachios over each. Add a few flaked almonds as well. Dust a little ground cardamom over it. It is drunk hot at winter gatherings.

Technique

• The pink is not colouring but a genuine reaction: bicarbonate of soda makes the water alkaline, green tea pigments change colour under those conditions, and oxygen is needed to complete it, which is why the brewing tea is repeatedly ladled high and poured back to drag air through it.
• The decoction itself ends up dark red-brown rather than pink; milk is what lightens it into the pink colour, so do not judge the shade before the milk goes in.
• In Kashmir it is noon chai, noon meaning salt, and is salted rather than sweet, while in Pakistan it is usually made sweet; both are correct, but do not add both.

Substitutions

• Gunpowder green tea stands in for Kashmiri leaf, since delicate green teas turn bitter before the colour develops.
• The decoction can be made in advance and keeps three days refrigerated.

Variations

• The Kashmiri version is salted and the Pakistani version sweetened.
• Some households add star anise or a cinnamon stick to the decoction.
• Pistachios and almonds are scattered over as a matter of course.

History

Kashmiri noon chai gets its colour from a chemical reaction between green tea, baking soda and oxygen; it is a Punjabi wedding staple.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kashmiri Chai?

Kashmiri Chai is a drink from Pakistan: pink salted tea with milk, cardamom and crushed pistachio, served at winter gatherings. Kashmiri noon chai gets its colour from a chemical reaction between green tea, baking soda and oxygen; it is a Punjabi wedding staple.

How long does Kashmiri Chai take to make?

Kashmiri Chai takes 10 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kashmiri Chai?

Yes, within limits. Gunpowder green tea stands in for Kashmiri leaf, since delicate green teas turn bitter before the colour develops. The decoction can be made in advance and keeps three days refrigerated.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kashmiri Chai?

Add the salt to the water as well. Bring it up to a rolling boil. Use one teaspoon of it and no more. Too much gives a soapy metallic taste. Let it boil hard and uncovered. Every few minutes, scoop it with a ladle. Lift the ladle high above the pot. Pour the tea back in a long stream.