I was chilling at my mom’s place about two weeks ago and she surprised me with the most amazing cup of Kashmiri Chai. It was the best I have had! The usual routine at Ami’s place is a perfect cup of chai after dinner or lunch, but this time the delightful change in monotony hit the spot. It was lightly sweetened, a tad bit salty, with crunchy pistachios and almonds in every sip and oh so delicious. So of course, even though I have learned a few recipes for this gorgeous pink tea in the past, I had to hear the details from her! So a few weeks later, I experimented with my mom’s method, technique and measurements.
Naturally, I had to add a little twist to it. And the story behind how I decided on this twist is unusual as well. Today I was at my sister Ambareen’s place and the two of us and my mom were discussing home remedies for healthy hair. Ambareen told me that she recently discovered a shampoo named ‘Joon’ that had saffron and rose water as two of its ingredients, and of course that’s all I needed to hear! How interesting. But then the Kashmiri Chai recipe was also on my mind and earlier today, my mom and I were finalizing the measurements for this recipe. As soon as I heard “rose water,” that was it. Needless to say, I had decided that the twist in this recipe would be a splash of rose water! So there you have it. The PERFECT cup of Gulabi Kashmiri Chai!
Gulabi Kashmiri Chai
Ingredients
For Kashmiri Chai Blend
- 5 cups cold tap water *measuring cup
- 4 tbsp green tea leaves *good quality-'Ahmad' Green Tea!
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 star anise
- 6 cardamom pods
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt *or to taste
- 3 tsp sugar *or to taste
- 2.5 cups ice cold water *measuring cup
For Milk Preparation (makes 3 tea cups of Gulabi Kashmiri Chai)
- 4 cups whole milk *reduced while simmering
- 8 tbsp Kashmiri Chai Blend *as prepared and stored
- 2 tsp rose water *Sadaf brand
- 10-12 pistachios *crushed, for garnish
- 10-12 almonds *peeled and crushed, for garnish
- sugar *optional, to taste
Instructions
For Kashmiri Chai Blend
- In a medium pot/saucepan, add 4 cups cold tap water, green tea leaves, star anise, cardamom pods, baking soda and salt and stir all ingredients together. On medium high heat, bring mixture to a boil. Once you have a rolling boil, turn heat to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes, consistently mixing, as needed using a ladle. Once mixture is reduced by half, add sugar, mix well and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Now gradually add 2.5 cups ice water, while continuously mixing. Continue to simmer for at least 25 more minutes, stirring well as required, until you achieve a dark maroon color. Strain the Kashmiri Chai Blend into a glass mason jar and let completely cool before placing lid and storing in refrigerator.
For Milk Preparation
- In a saucepan, heat 4 cups of whole milk on medium high heat. Once a boil is reached, add 2 tsp of rose water to hot milk, mix well, turn heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes until reduced, stirring as needed. *I remove the coagulated milk skin, as it forms using a slotted spoon. Once milk is reduced, add 8 tbsp of Kashmiri Chai Blend and mix well. *You may add some sugar at this point, if you prefer a sweeter taste. Continue to simmer tea for an additional 10-15 minutes, again removing milk skin as it continues to form. Once you have a creamy texture, a pale pinkish color and a lovely aroma, the tea is done.
- Now strain the prepared tea into serving cups and top with as many or as little chopped pistachios and almonds you so desire. The perfect cup of Gulabi Kashmiri Chai is now ready to serve. Enjoy! Nosh Farma'aiye.