Ingredients
The tea
- 2 tablespoonsgreen tea
- loose leaf
- or black tea
- 500 mlcold water
The milk
- 700 mlwhole milk
- or camel milk
- or sheep’s milk
- warmed
To finish
- salt, to taste
- or sugar, to taste
- never both together
- a knob of butter
- optional
To serve
- in bowls or cups
- offered to guests first
- with bread
- or dried fruit
Directions
- Use a pan far larger than seems necessary. Stir it as it heats and keep the heat moderate. Use a heavy-based pan rather than a thin one.
- Put the tea leaves and cold water in a pan. Starting in cold water extracts more strength. Bring the water and leaves to a rolling boil. Boil it hard for about five minutes. It should look strong and taste slightly bitter.
- Make it stronger than seems reasonable. Pour the warmed milk into the boiled tea. Add it gradually while the pan is on the heat. Stir it in as you pour it slowly. Adjust it to whatever suits you. Bring the whole pot back to a gentle simmer.
- Take it off the moment it starts to rise. Never leave the pan at this stage. Let it simmer gently for about ten minutes. Stir it regularly so it does not catch.
- Keep the heat low throughout that time. It is done repeatedly as it simmers. Strain the tea through a fine sieve. Press them gently to get the last liquid. Add salt or sugar to the strained tea. Never add both to the same pot.
- Add salt until it is clearly savoury. It should taste seasoned rather than faintly salty. Add sugar until it is clearly sweet. Stir a knob of butter into the hot tea. It melts into golden spots on the surface. Pour the hot tea into bowls or cups. Serve it genuinely hot to guests.
- Serve bread or dried fruit alongside the tea. It is drunk hot from a bowl or a cup. Make only what will be drunk at that sitting.
Technique
- Never leave the pan unattended once the milk is in: milk rises suddenly and boils over without warning, climbing the pan far faster than you expect. It also scorches easily, so keep the heat moderate, stir as it heats and use a heavy-based pan larger than seems necessary.
- Decide on salted or sweet before you add anything, and never do both in the same pot — they are two different drinks and mixing them is genuinely unpleasant.
- Make only what will be drunk at that sitting; the butter separates unpleasantly on reheating.
Substitutions
- Camel milk is used in parts of Turkmenistan and is slightly saltier and thinner than cow’s milk; sheep’s milk is also used. All three are genuine, and the atlas gives cow’s milk as the default. Chal, fermented camel milk, is a separate sour and slightly fizzy drink recorded elsewhere.
- Black tea replaces green in some households and both are genuinely made, though green gives a lighter finished drink. A knob of butter goes with the salted version rather than the sweet, enriching it and melting into golden spots.
Variations
- Start the tea in cold water and boil it hard for five minutes rather than steeping it gently: that extracts far more strength, and the milk softens the resulting bitterness. Green tea is normally brewed below boiling and that rule is deliberately broken here — a weak tea disappears entirely into the milk.
- Ladling the tea up and pouring it back repeatedly as it simmers is a genuine Central Asian technique that aerates it, mixes it thoroughly and builds a slight froth. Do it over the pan to avoid splashing.
- Tea is offered to any guest immediately and before any business is discussed, which is strictly observed in Turkmenistan — the offering establishes welcome and conversation follows rather than precedes it. The guest is served first without exception and the host pours personally. Cups are filled only partly so the host can refill often, which is itself a courtesy; follow the host’s lead as a guest.
History
Milk tea drunk all day and offered to guests before any conversation begins.
Frequently asked questions
What is Suytli chay?
Suytli chay is a drink from Turkmenistan: green tea boiled with milk, sometimes camel milk, salted or sweet. Milk tea drunk all day and offered to guests before any conversation begins.
How long does Suytli chay take to make?
Suytli chay takes 5 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Suytli chay?
Yes, within limits. Camel milk is used in parts of Turkmenistan and is slightly saltier and thinner than cow’s milk; sheep’s milk is also used. All three are genuine, and the atlas gives cow’s milk as the default. Chal, fermented camel milk, is a separate sour and slightly fizzy drink recorded elsewhere. Black tea replaces green in some households and both are genuinely made, though green gives a lighter finished drink. A knob of butter goes with the salted version rather than the sweet, enriching it and melting into golden spots.
What is the most important thing to get right in Suytli chay?
Use a pan far larger than seems necessary. Stir it as it heats and keep the heat moderate. Use a heavy-based pan rather than a thin one.
