Kashmiri Pink Chai Recipe

If we made the rules, the Kashmiri Pink Chai should be one of the 7 wonders of Pakistan.

It has a soft pink appearance that could fool you into thinking that it tastes like a whole farm of strawberries swimming in milky waters, but it’s not, and that’s the beauty of it!

Kashmiri Pink Chai, widely known as pink tea and also called as noon chai, gulabi chai, namkeen chai, and sheer chai in various regions, is made from Kashmiri or Himalayan green tea.

What makes it pink? For the most part, adding baking soda to boiled green tea makes it red, while adding milk is what makes it pink.

To sum it up, despite its pinkish hues, it is considered a healthy drink and tastes heavy on green tea and whole milk with hints of a few added ingredients like star anise, cinnamon, and others.

Using specific high-quality ingredients for this recipe such as Mlekovita full cream milk from O-Superstore and Tasty Bites honey from Flavors of Quezon, this recipe is an improved version of the typical pink drink.

In time for the love month, here’s the perfect recipe for Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients

4 cups water

2 tbsp Kashmiri/Himalayan green tea or other green tea

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-2 Star anise

2 cardamom pods, crushed

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups Mlekovita UHT Full-Cream Milk

Tasty Bites Wild Honey to taste

Crushed nuts for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Directions

1. Boil green tea in a saucepan for about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and continue boiling for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the star anise, crushed cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick. Boil for another minute.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until it reduces to about half its original volume.
5. Add salt and mix well.
6. Add 2 cups of full cream milk and increase the heat to a boil. Stir constantly to avoid burning the milk. As the milk boils, the tea will begin to turn pink.
7. Once the chai is a beautiful pink color, remove it from heat. Strain it into cups to remove the spices and tea leaves.
8. Sweeten honey and garnish with crushed nuts.
9. Serve hot and enjoy!