To me, Kashmiri Chai has always been a bit of an enigma. An aspirational, meticulously prepared drink that requires hours of attention, tea leaves from a particular region, a bicep workout, and a good dose of patience. And only then will it be the correct shade of pink…possibly. Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week! But what about us common folk who adore it, but don’t have the due diligence and expertise to make it the authentic way? What if we want a good cup of pink tea, preferably now? Well that’s where this recipe comes in.
What is Kashmiri Chai (Pink Tea) and what makes it special?
Kashmiris don’t actually call their chai “Kashmiri Chai”. That’s the term used by Pakistanis and Indians to describe the Kashmiri Noon Chai (translated to Salt Tea). As the name suggests, Noon chai is a salty drink, but has gained popularity across Pakistan as a sweet concoction. Often called Pink Tea, Kashmiri chai is a milk tea characterized by its dusty pink color and garnishing of crushed nuts. It’s brewed with green tea leaves and baking soda, and then mixed with milk to give it a distinct pink color. Even within Pakistan, Kashmiri Chai is a bit of a delicacy because of the long, somewhat arduous process of making it.
How I developed this recipe
To be honest, I felt a bit of imposter syndrome while developing this recipe. Because 1) I’m not Kashmiri and didn’t actually grow up in Pakistan, where it’s a treat often served at winter weddings. And 2) I didn’t want to downplay the art of making an authentic cup of Kashmiri chai. But, I did want to make an easy, fool-proof version that’s doable for the majority of us while honoring Kashmir’s beautiful tea culture. So what started as a quick, expectation-free experiment soon became a possibility. And I found myself gleefully preparing it every night, timing myself and obsessing over the shade of pink. To compare, we tried it at several spots around Houston and noted that this 20-minute version is more pronounced in flavor and aroma without being heavy.
How to make Kashmiri Chai the traditional way
In the traditional method, you prepare a deep pink concentrate (called kahva or kahwa) by boiling and reducing the tea for many hours. You then shock this tea concentrate with cold water and heavily aerate it before combining it with milk and salt to make Noon Chai. Flour and Spice Blog has a wonderful recipe that showcases this Pakistani style of making Kashmiri chai.
How to make this quick and easy version and why it works
This 20-minute version is as easy to make as a good old cup of chai. Simply boil down the tea leaves with baking soda, add cold water, milk, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil again, and you’re done. There are a few reasons why this quick version works:
What makes Kashmiri Chai pink?
There are 3 main components at play: On Baking Soda: I have tried omitting baking soda and brewing and ladling for a couple hours until I maxed out on patience and there was still no pink in sight. So yes, baking soda makes the magic happen.
What to do if your Kashmiri Chai is not turning pink
While testing various teas, I quickly realized that some teas turn pink more easily than others. The simple solution for this: Add more baking soda. Some tea leaves require double the amount of baking soda to achieve the same ruby color in the concentrate. If, after increasing baking soda, it’s still more brown than pink, try using a different green tea. You can try adding more baking soda (up to 1/2 tsp total before it starts becoming noticeable), but I’ve found that if it won’t turn pink with 1/4 tsp, then it most likely won’t turn pink with even double the amount. Here’s a litmus test to see if if the tea concentrate (kahwa) has turned pink enough:After adding the cold water, take a small amount out and put it in a cup. Add a bit of half and half or milk. If it’s not pink enough, then add a bit more baking soda and bring to a boil again.
Can you use any Green Tea leaves to make Kashmiri Chai?
Yes! Kashmiri tea leaves are hard to find, even around Houston. Feel free to use any green tea as long as it’s not bitter. Depending on the variety, non-Kashmiri green tea leaves may not turn as pink as those specifically for Kashmiri Chai. They may also produce a slightly different flavor profile. In the ones I’ve tried, the end product tasted like Kashmiri chai, but was not as pink and had a hint of bubble milk tea flavor. Still very delicious and worth trying if you can’t find made-in-Kashmir tea leaves. Fun Fact: My sister tried this recipe by cutting open Bigelow green tea bags and she thoroughly enjoyed her (pink!) cup.
Which brand of Kashmiri Tea is best?
Again, actual Kashmiri tea leaves are so inaccessible that I can’t find appropriate links for the most of them. Here are some of the brands I know of:
Three Rivers – This is the brand I use. Both loose leaves and instant will work. Tapal Gulbahar – I haven’t tried it but have heard it’s good. Handi Kashmiri Pink Tea – This is available in Canada and I’ve heard it’s good. Dewan Kashmiri Pink Tea – I have tried this one and though it worked, it was more bitter and harder to extract color from. Food Net Hi-Sun – This is available in Pakistan and I’ve heard it’s great.
Sweetening Noon Chai
Kashmiri Chai can take quite a bit of sweetener to be noticeably sweet. I have tried sweetening it using a blend of brown sugar and date syrup as well as pure cane sugar and they all work well. If you’re using honey to sweeten, add it after you’ve poured into cups.
Some final tips to get the perfect cup
Initially, when you’re boiling the water and tea leaves on high heat, they’ll reduce down until there’s very little water left. This is intentional. If you notice the tea leaves are starting to stick to the bottom of the pan, immediately add the ice water. The prepared ice water will naturally increase to more than 1 cup once the ice cubes start to melt. It’s fine to include the extra water, but avoid adding the ice cubes, because this can alter the measurements. After adding the milk, you may be tempted to boil the milk and tea together for longer, but I find doing that loses some of the pink color. Boiling just once will incorporate the salt and sugar without making it too strong. You can also do it the traditional way and heat milk separately. Because the milk doesn’t require extended boiling, just about any dairy-free milk substitute can be used. Just add and heat through.
How to serve Kashmiri Chai
Since Kashmiri Chai is so flavorful and almost dessert-like, it’s usually served as-is, piping hot and garnished with crushed nuts. In Kashmir, various types of Kashmiri bread is often accompany Kashmiri Chai. Naan can be a wonderful substitute.
How to make Iced Kashmiri Chai
Here’s a non-traditional but very delicious idea: Allow Kashmiri Chai to cool, then add a couple ice cubes to make a quick Iced Kashmiri Chai.
More Pakistani Drink Recipes You’ll Love
Pakistani Chai (Doodh Pati) Masala Chai (Tea) Recipe – Spiced Chai Plain Sweet Lassi The Best Mango Lassi Recipe (Restaurant-Style) Turmeric/Golden Milk | Haldi Doodh
If you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments below! If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your pretty pink creations. I love hearing from you!
