Kashmiri Chai
Dairy, Drinks
Ingredients
9 whole cardamom pods
1 cup water
2 tablespoons kashmiri tea leaves, or other green tea leaves
4 whole star anises
4 whole cloves
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp. ginger (optional)
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup ice water
¾ cup skim milk + ¾ cup cream OR ¾ cup whole milk + ¾ cup half and half
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar, to taste
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons unsalted raw pistachios, crushed with a mortar and pestle
½ tablespoon raw almonds, crushed with a mortar and pestle
Description
The pink color of this tea comes from a reaction between the tea leaves and the baking soda. You may occasionally find, particularly with different varieties of leaves, that your tea is light brown with only a slight pink tinge. It will still taste good though.
Directions
Add the cardamom pods to a mortar and crush with a pestle into small pieces.
Add the water, Kashmiri tea leaves, crushed cardamom, star anise pods, cloves, and cinnamon sticks to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the baking soda (it will fizz and bubble) and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
Use a ladle to scoop some liquid from the pot and pour it back in repeatedly to aerate the liquid. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the ice water, return to a simmer, continue to aerate, and simmer for 5 minutes more.
Add the dairy, sugar, and salt and return to a simmer. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and steep for another 5 minutes.
Strain the chai through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof spouted measuring cup, making sure to squeeze out all the liquid. Discard the solids.
Divide the chai between 2-3 mugs and top with the crushed pistachios and almonds. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories 329
Fat 29g
Carbs 21g
Fiber 4g
Sugar 11g
Protein 6g