Recipe For Kashmiri style Noon Chai| Salty Pink Tea - English|
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The_Great_Kashmiri_Salt_tea aka Noon Chai (Source: Google Creataive Commons Licence). |
Noon Chai is also known as Shir chai, Gulabi chai, Kashmiri tea, or Pink tea. Noon Chai is a traditional tea beverage of Kashmir Valley, which is made by using gun powder tea, milk, and baking soda, or Sea salt.
Maybe, due to the cool weather of that region, Kashmiri people take this beverage 2−3 times a day with traditional Kashmiri bread and pastries like Lavasa, Sheermaal, Kandir Tchot, Bakarkhani, and Kulcha.
The color of the Kashmiri Chai is saffron or pink. This color is due to the chemical reaction of chlorophyll with the bicarbonate of soda.
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Gun Powder Tea Leaves. |
Gun Powder Tea is a type of Green Tea. The leaf of the Gun Powder Tea is in the shape of a round pallet. It resembles the grains of Gunpowder; hence the name is Gun Powder Tea.
Ingredients for the Kashmiri Noon Chai:
- 2 cups of water.
- Some cardamoms(optionally Anise and cinnamon)
- Pinch of Nut Meg Powder.
- Baking Soda or Sea salt - 1 teaspoon.
- Milk - One or two cups.
Method for Kashmiri Noon Chai:
- Take a broad bottom pot. Add 2 cups of water and put on the medium flame to boil.
- Crush green cardamoms with the palm till the seed gets extracted, and add it into the boiling water.
- Optionally star anise, and cinnamon can be added for more flavor.
- Add green gunpowder tea leaves and baking soda ( or white sea salt).
- Then boil the water on the high flame until the half of water is vapourised. The color of the liquid will turn deeper like Kahwa.
- Add the one cup (or more, as per choice)of milk (Creamy, the better), and boil for a while on low or medium flame.
- Take it out in the cup, and enjoy with Kashmiri bread, Kulcha, or whatever you like.
- I hope you will make it once in your kitchen.
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