Kashmiri Pink Tea/ Noon Chai

 I was introduced to this delightful tea by a friend few years ago. When you say tea, it is assumed to be sweet. At least that is how we Indians drink it..sweet and milky. Kashmiri chai as we call it is savory. It is called noon chai. The tea is made with green tea leaves, but the tea is not green, it is pink. You may wonder how. In the traditional method, a deep pink concentrate called kahwa is prepared by boiling and reducing green tea for many hours. This tea concentrate is then shocked with cold water, and aerated before combining with milk and salt, hence the name noon chai. A quicker way to make this tea (at least 20 minutes) is to add baking soda to the brew to turn the green tea dark brown. Adding milk turns the tea to a delicate shade of pink. It took me many trials to get the pink tea right. I think I can say that I have perfected the art of making noon chai.

Ingredients for 2 cups of chai:

1 Cup water at room temperature

2-3 large ice cubes

1 Cup water

2 Tablespoons Kashmiri chai leaves or any non-bitter green tea leaves

2 Star anise

6-8 pods of green cardamom

2 cloves

1 inch cinnamon stick

1/8 teaspoon heaped baking soda

1 Cup whole milk

1/2 Cup half and half milk or 1/4 Cup heavy cream + 1/4 Cup milk

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

2 Tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste) 

                                                             

Garnish:

1 Tablespoon crushed raw almonds 

1/2 Tablespoon crushed unsalted pistachios

1 Tablespoon golden raisins

                                                         

Method:

1. Combine room temperature water and ice cubes to prepare ice water. Keep aside.

                                                             

2. Heat a 2 quart saucepan over high heat. Add water, green tea leaves, and whole spices. 

                                                              

3. Bring it to a boil over high heat for 5-6 minutes. Aerate occasionally by scooping and pouring tea back into the saucepan with a ladle. You will notice the froth in the water turn from pale green to deep pink. If not, add 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda. Add little more if tea does not change color. The water should be reduced, almost evaporated.

                                

                                 

4. Add the prepared ice water (without ice) to the tea. You could aerate some more to deepen the color of the tea. You can see here the deep red color of the tea.

                                              

5. Gently add milk, half and half, salt, and sugar.  Bring it to a light boil. Turn the heat off. Make sure not to boil for too long.Taste and adjust salt and sugar. The tea should be slightly salty. 

                                              

                                           

5. Add crushed nuts and raisins to the cups. Strain the tea into the prepared cups. Enjoy the delicate tea with crisp naan or rusk.

                                                

                                                            

Notes:

You can avoid using half and half and make the tea with only milk.

I prefer to add boiled milk to my tea because I like my tea to be hot.

If the tea does not change color even after increasing the amount of baking soda, try using different green tea leaves.

The tea would be slightly salty. But, the sweetness of raisins would make up for it.

Recipe adapted from Tea For Turmeric