Recipe for Irani Chai (Hyderabadi Dum Tea)

INGREDIENTS Water- 2 cups, Assam tea leaves (chai Patti) -2 teaspoons or 2 tea bags, Sugar- 2 teaspoons, Whole green cardamoms lightly crushed-2, Cinnamon stick (lightly crushed) – 1 inch piece, CREAMY MILK Whole milk (full-fat milk) -2 cups, Khoya crumbled-2 tablespoons

 

PREPARATION

In a saucepan, combine the needed amount of water, tea leaves, sugar, green cardamoms, and cinnamon stick.

Bring the infusion to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan tightly.

Cook for 30 minutes on low heat.

Prepare the milk mixture while the tea is brewing.

Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium and brew until the milk is reduced to half its original quantity. Frequent stirring is required.

Cook for 3-4 minutes to properly integrate the khoya with the milk.

Pour a quarter cup of the decoction into a serving cup after straining the tea using a tea strainer.

Pour in 3/4 cup of the milk mixture. Serve right away.

If you don’t have a tight-fitting lid for the pot, seal it with whole wheat flour dough to prevent steam from escaping.

If khoya is not available, combine 2 tablespoons milk powder and 1 tablespoon milk and stir thoroughly. It can be used in place of khoya. It is not the ideal option, but it suits the goal just as well.

Replacing khoya with heavy cream or condensed milk will change the flavor, but it’s nice enough to try. When using condensed milk, you can omit the sugar entirely.