India's food culture is revered worldwide. Our chai culture forms a pivotal part of this distinctive food culture. Tea leaves have been used for years in India for various medicinal purposes. Over time, we have enriched our tea with regional flavours and have even experimented with its colour.
Like the way our countrymen have brought some unique twists to tea in different states, Roshi has also sampled its tea with selected herbs and spices to give you a distinct and delightful cup of wellness.
Join us to explore some spectacular varieties of tea recipes that can help you take a break from the traditional chai and gift your tastebuds something new!
The Kashmiri Pink Chai (noon chai)
What if you add some aesthetics to your daily chai?
The pink chai is a treat not only in taste but visually for its dusty pink hue. It comes all the way from the heavenly Kashmir valley. The local Kashmiri's often call it noon (salt) chai or gulabi (pink) chai as it is creamy in texture and richer in taste. If salt and sugar are your favourite combination, then this fragrant chai is surely your cup of tea. Are you confused about how it derives that pink shade? This pink hue is not the result of any food colour; instead, it is caused by a reaction between baking soda when added to tea leaves and 'Kahwa.' This Kahwa is continuously beaten, and the pink colour depends on how much air you involve.
The preparation of Pink tea is like a ritual that requires patience and around 20 minutes of your time. To make this delicious cup of tea, at first,
● Add refrigerated cold water to a pan.
● Flavour it with Kashmiri tea leaves, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and
cardamom.
● Now bring it to a boil and add baking soda to get that pink potion.
● Stir it on low or medium flame till it becomes thick and creamy. You can see
the quantity decreasing as it gets thicker.
● After you get your desired thickness, mix it with cold water with ice cubes in it,
this will make up for that reduced quantity.
● Akin to an expert chaiwala, pour the cold water from a height in the solution to
aerate the tea. Be cautious not to burn your hands. Continue this step for
about 8-10 minutes to get the perfect blend.
● Once there appear dark red bubbles on the top of the tea, turn off the flame
and filter the drink. You will find the Kahwa is ready.
● Ultimately to get that pink coloured tea. Boil milk in a pan and add sugar along
with the Kahwa. The more the amount of Kahwa, the darker the pink shade
will be.
● After the mixture is perfectly boiled, garnish it with pistachios and almonds.
Now, enjoy the luxurious mug of Kashmiri chai.
Sulaimani Chai
Originally, Sulaimani chai is the tea of Arabs. When the Arabs came to India for trade, they brought the Sulaimani tea to Kerala's Malabar coast. This beverage is a rich solution without milk and has a golden shade. Its taste and look gets further enhanced by a variety of spices. Sulaimani got its name from the word Arab word meaning 'man of peace.' This tea is best after a heavy meal, especially a feast to boost digestion and control cholesterol. Follow this recipe to prepare Sulaimani Chai.
● In a saucepan, add 2 cups of water and flavour it with cinnamon. Take two
cardamoms and cloves and boil them together for 2 minutes.
● Now add two tablespoon tea powder and mix it till the colour changes.
● Once all the flavours sink in, add some lemon juice and cover the pan; let it sit
for a minute or two.
● The Sulaimani is now ready to drink, strain it and enjoy the rich tea of Arabs.
Kadha Chai
Like Roshi's Kahwa, the Kadha chai is not just a refreshing tea but a traditional medicinal drink for the common cold and flu. This chai has therapeutic spices that fight infections and boost immunity. It is a perfect drink for monsoons and winters. This Ayurvedic herbal tea is also your homemade companion for relieving common health troubles such as cold and cough. The process to prepare this beverage is as follows:
Tandoori Chai
Are you a bit surprised with the name? Then, get ready to surprise your taste buds even more! This unique chai is smoky and earthy in look and taste. Tandoori chai has its origin in a small tea shop in Pune called 'Chai La' and garnered a lot of hype within no time. Making Tandoori chai is not a laborious process but, in fact, an adventurous one. Follow these steps to make this special tea.
● Heat a clay pot for 10 minutes on a low flame.
● Add water, bring it to a boil, and season it with tea leaves, lemongrass, mint
leaves, tea masala, and sugar.
● Add milk to the boiled mixture and heat it for another 2 minutes.
● After bringing it to a boil, strain it and move it to a glass jar.
● Now set the clay pot in a deep vessel using tongs and pour the hot tea into it.
The tempting tandoori chai is ready to serve.
Butter chai or Po Cha
This authentic Tibetan tea comes with an unusual taste and is quite a tenacious process to make. Tibet is an elevated region with a harsh cold climate, and this aromatic drink is their remedy to keep warm throughout the day. It is prepared using special tea leaves from the Pemagul region of Tibet. Traditionally, the Tibetan nomads use dri yak's butter and milk for making this tea instead of the usual cow or goat milk. To prepare this traditional drink, here is the brief procedure:
● You need four chunks of Pu-erh tea which often comes as one large brick.
● Add 4 cups of water to a saucepan and boil it.
● Now, put the Pu-erh tea bricks and simmer it. You can heat it according to your desired flavour and even make it thicker to create a “chaku.”
● Add 2 teaspoons of Himalayan salt and 2/3 cup of light cream to the saucepan and boil it again.
● Now place the 2-3 tablespoons of yak or cow butter beneath a French Press.
● Using a sieve, strain the solution to the French press.
● Churn the mixture in the French Press for at least 2 minutes and after finishing, pour it into your teapot.
● As per the tradition, you can serve the tea in tea bowls.
Masala tea
Masala tea varies from region to region and is a highly popular cup of Indianized tea. This spiced chai is infused with local spices and served with milk and sugar. In the West, it goes by the name Tea latte. It is a suitable drink for cold winters and to get rid of that morning sickness. To prepare a sumptuous Masala chai, you can refer to these steps. Also, you can always customize the recipe to fit your palate.
● To make masala tea, at first, you need masala powder. Take 2 to 3 cloves, ½ or ¾ of cinnamon, and 2 or 3 cardamoms.
● Crush it finely to make a powder texture.
● Now, heat a saucepan with 2 cups of water and one teaspoon of tea leaves it.
● Simmer it to a dark golden solution, and once boiled, add the masala powder.
● Now add sugar to the solution and blend it by adding milk to the boiling tea.
● Now keep it in low or medium flame until it becomes loosely thick. To derive a heavenly smell, add some tulsi leaves to the concoction.
It is indeed a bit tricky to express in words the relevance of tea for Indians. Undeniably, it is the most-loved beverage of our nation. Despite whatever region you hail from, the fanbase for a good cup of tea persists everywhere.
With its experience in the world of tea cultivation and production, Roshi has also come up with some admirable blends of nourishing and tasty teas for patrons across our nation.
Don't forget to try the chai recipes and share them with your dear ones. Also, let us know your experience while preparing these spectacular recipes. Our team at Roshi is also eager to know about your exclusive tea recipes.