Irani Chai of HYDERABAD

Irani Chai: Taste of Persia in Hyderabad

This is a must have when you come to Hyderabad, any Irani hotel will make a good cup of Chai, that will boost your senses as people in Hyderabad would always like to have Chai throughout the day ant time, it refreshes us from tiredness and also good to taste. Can be taken after heavy meals, like Biryani, talking about Biryani, I will also update you with the recipes for the best Biryani of Hyderabad in my coming blogs, right now we will make some Irani Chai, this is the traditional recipe of the Persians, that is being followed in all the Irani Restaurants here, but I will also give you the substitute for the ingreints to get the similar taste whisc can be prepared at home in any part of the world,

              Chai Recipe 

Ingredients :
Spice ingredients for one pot of tea: 
1/2 : star anise star 
10:   whole cloves 
6-:    whole allspice 
2 :   short sticks) 
6:    whole white peppercorns 
1 :   cardamom pod opened to the seeds (not pictured) 

Other ingredients: 
1 : cup water 
6:  cups whole milk 
2 :heaped tablespoons  [leaf black tea of Ceylon, or English Breakfast tea ] 
Sugar, to taste

Method :
 In a 2-qt saucepan, add spices to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat; let steep for 5-20 minutes, depending on how strong a spice flavor you want. 

Add 4-6 cups of whole milk to the water and spices. If you don't have whole milk, you can also use non-fat or low-fat milk;

add some cream to it, [a few tablespoons]. Bring the milk and spice mixture to a boil and remove from heat immediately.

Add the tea to the milk and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes to taste. (Option at this point - reheat to a simmer and remove from heat.) add sugar at this point, or serve without sugar and leave to people put the required amount of sugar as  they want as some like it very sweet, some prefer not so sweet Traditionally, sugar is added before serving. 

Strain into a pot. Serve. Add sugar to taste.

Now this is the traditional way to make Irani Chai/Hyderabad irani chai, but the substitute for another version to make at home as the above recipe may be too spicy, you can also make as follows,

Ingredients for substitute:

6-8: pepper corns
4-5, cloves
3-4: cardamom, whole

Crush all the ingredients coarsely, put in the teapot while boiling tea [tea leaf, milk, and sugar together] that we normally do every day, let it simmer on low flame for 2-3 mts after boiling, strain into cups directly and add cream on top before serving, with Osmania biscuits or Samosas

Next time I will share how to make Osmania Biscuites and

Samosas