Kashmiri Chai With Gin Food

20-MINUTE KASHMIRI CHAI (PINK TEA)

Steps:

• Prepare ice water: Combine room temperature water with 2-3 large ice cubes and set aside.
• Heat a medium saucepan over high heat. Add water, Kashmiri chai leaves, star anise, green cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon (if using) and bring to a boil.
• Once it comes to a boil, add the baking soda. It'll fizz a little. Allow this mixture to boil over high heat for 5-6 minutes. Occasionally, use a ladle to aerate (scoop and pour back) the tea. You'll notice the froth in the water go from pale green to a deep pink color. If not, add another 1/8 tsp of baking soda. (See Note 2) The water will be greatly reduced, almost evaporated.
• Add the prepared ice water (discard any ice cubes). If you'd like, you can aerate several times to deepen the color. Add the milk, half & half, salt, and sweetener. Allow it to a come to a light boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Do not allow it to boil for too long as it'll start to lose some of its pink color. Taste and adjust salt and sweetener.
• Strain the tea into cups and add crushed almonds and pistachios, as desired.

KASHMIRI CHAI RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Add the cardamom pods to a mortar and crush with a pestle into small pieces.
• Add the room temperature water, Kashmiri tea leaves, crushed cardamom, star anise pods, cloves, and cinnamon sticks to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the baking soda (it will fizz and bubble) and reduce the heat to medium. While boiling, use a ladle to scoop some liquid from the pot and pour it back in from as high as you can without splattering (the aeration of the liquid helps give the tea its pink hue). Continue until the liquid is reduced by half, 7-10 minutes.
• Add the ice water and continue to aerate the tea with the ladle for another 2 minutes. Add the milk, half-and-half, sugar, and salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and steep for another 3 minutes.
• Strain the chai through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof spouted measuring cup, making sure to squeeze out all the liquid. Discard the solids.
• Divide the chai between 3 mugs and top with the crushed pistachios and almonds. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy!

KASHMIRI CHAI WITH GIN

Steps:

• Finely grind nuts, cardamom, cinnamon, and saffron with mortar and pestle or in grinder. Add nutmeg.
• Bring milk just to a simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then whisk in brown sugar, salt, and nut mixture and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes to infuse flavors.
• Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan, then add tea leaves and boil 1 minute. Pour tea through a fine-mesh sieve into hot-milk mixture, discarding tea leaves, and cook chai over low heat 1 minute.
• Divide gin among 4 (8-ounce) mugs and top with hot chai.