Irani Chai
Veg
Hyderabad's café tea — strong Assam or Nilgiri tea steeped separately and then poured into a glass that already contains hot, thickened sweetened milk (called 'dum' milk, slowly reduced on the stove). The tea and milk are never boiled together; the result is a two-layer drink with sharp tannin on top and sweet, creamy milk below. Unique to Hyderabad's Irani café culture, inseparable from the bun maska.
Cuisines
Hyderabadi
Best for
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Recipe
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 30 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
|
2 cups | Water |
|
2 cups | Milk , full-fat |
|
3 tablespoons | Sugar |
|
2 tablespoons | Black Tea |
|
2 | Cardamom , green pods |
|
1 | Cinnamon stick |
|
1 inch | Ginger , fresh, sliced |
|
1 | Saffron , pinch of strands |
|
1 | Baking soda , pinch of |
Instructions
- 1 In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
- 2 Add the black tea leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and ginger slices to the boiling water.
- 3 Let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes until the water reduces to half.
- 4 Add the baking soda to the tea mixture and stir well.
- 5 In a separate pot, bring the milk to a boil.
- 6 Once the milk is boiling, add the sugar and saffron strands, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
- 7 Strain the tea mixture into the milk, discarding the solids.
- 8 Stir the combined tea and milk mixture well and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- 9 Serve hot in cups, optionally garnished with a few saffron strands.
Tips
For a richer taste, use a mix of evaporated milk and regular milk.