Irani chai, a sweet spiced creamy chai recipe which is popular all over India. This is going viral because it is simple, creamy, and very comforting. It is not like regular chai with many spices. Here the milk is cooked slowly for a long time until it becomes thick and rich, then mixed with strong tea. Serve it hot with bun maska or biscuits and you get that classic Irani café feeling at home.
Irani Chai Recipe
Irani chai is a popular chai recipe from Irani cafe in India. It is introduced by the Introduced by Persian immigrants in the 19th century and has now become an integral part of Hyderabadi culture.
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The chai is made by brewing spiced chai decoction with whole spices and sugar in a pan and milk is reduced in another pan. Then combining both to create this iconic chai.
About Irani Chai
Irani chai is popular in India, especially in cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune. What makes Irani chai special is its rich, creamy texture and sweet taste. Irani chai is usually served hot in small glass tumblers resembling tea glasses or Turkish glass. The creamy milk is poured first and then topped with the spiced tea decoction or vise versa.
Traditionally Irani chai has khoya (thickened milk) is added to milk and reduced until creamy. But I like to use sweetened condensed milk to make the process faster. Unlike regular Indian chai, the milk is simmered for hours until thick and slightly caramelised, then mixed with strong brewed tea with spices and sugar.
Traditional Irani chai usually does not have many spices. It mainly uses tea leaves, milk, sugar, and sometimes cardamom. But I like slight spice hint in my chai, so I used very minimum spices like cardamom, ginger, cloves and cinnamon.
Traditionally served with bakery treats like osmania biscuits or bun maska. You will enjoy my mint tea, ginger cardamom tea and masala chai.
What is so special about Irani chai?
Irani Chai’s specialty is in its unique, slow-brewing technique. The tea decoction is sometimes made using the dum method (sealing the pot) to concentrate flavors. To recreate the dum method, you can use pressure cooker to brew the tea.
The process of making Irani chai is called as double decoction. It is made by mixing a strong, separate tea decoction with separately simmered, thick milk (often with khoya or mawa), resulting in a creamy sweet chai.
It is served in iconic tumblers and perfectly paired with snacks like bun maska or osmania biscuits.
Ingredients
Tea Powder – use Indian tea variety like Assam tea and good quality black tea powder.
Milk – use full fat milk for making tea which is simmered for a long time to create creamy texture.
Sweetened condensed milk – this is added to milk and cooked long and slow to create thick and creamy texture.
Spices – I used cinnamon, dry ginger, cardamom, cloves to flavour the black tea decoction.
Sugar – To sweeten tea sugar is used.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you reduce both milk and tea decoction until half way so the flavour deepens.
- You can add fresh ginger instead of dry ginger.
- You can add grated khoya or milk powder to milk when boiling to reduce it faster.
- Use good quality tea powder for perfect colour chai.
Storage & Serving
Decoction and reduced milk can be stored in fridge and reheated when serving. Serve immediately with biscuits or bun maska.
Step by Step Pictures
1)Take water and whole spices in a sauce pan. Place it on heat.
2)Add in sugar to taste.
3)Add in tea powder. use Indian tea variety like Assam tea and good quality black tea powder.
4)bring it to a full boil. Boil this for 4 to 5 minutes until it is reduced half.
5)the tea decoction should reduce till half.
6)Simultaneously, place another pot on the stove to reduce the milk while the tea decoction is brewing. take full fat milk in a sauce pan.
7)Add in sweetened condensed milk to sweeten the milk.
8)Place on heat and cook until it is reduced half.
9)The colour will darken and the milk will get creamy.
10)Now strain the tea in a separate jug.
11)This is your tea decoction.
12)Take a serving cup, pour tea decoction.
13)pour reduced milk from a height so it mixes.
14)serve immediately with biscuits or bun maska.
FAQ
Irani chai came to India with Persian (Iranian) immigrants in the early 1900s and became popular in Irani cafés, especially in Hyderabad and Mumbai.
The milk is simmered for a long time on low heat. This makes it thick, slightly sweet, and very smooth. This has added grated khoya or milk powder to milk when boiling to reduce it faster.
Irani chai uses more milk than water, is brewed separately, and tastes smoother and creamier. Regular chai is spicier and boiled all together.
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Irani Chai Recipe (Hyderabadi Cafe Style Irani Tea)
Irani chai, a sweet spiced creamy chai recipe which is popular all over India. This is going viral because it is simple, creamy, and very comforting. It is not like regular chai with many spices. Here the milk is cooked slowly for a long time until it becomes thick and rich, then mixed with strong tea. Serve it hot with bun maska or biscuits and you get that classic Irani café feeling at home.
Ingredients
For Tea Decoction
- 2 cup Water
- 2 tablespoon Indian Black Tea
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 no Cardamom crushed
- 2 no Cloves
- 1 small Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Dry ginger crushed
Instructions
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Take water, tea powder, spices and sugar in a sauce pan and bring it to a full boil. Boil this for 4 to 5 minutes until it is reduced half.
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Meanwhile take milk and condensed milk in a separate sauce pan and boil for another 5 to 8 minutes until it is reduced half way and the colour darkens.
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Now strain the tea in a separate jug. Take a serving cup, pour decoction and then the reduced milk on top from a height and serve immediately with biscuits or bun maska.
Notes
- Make sure you reduce both milk and tea decoction until half way so the flavour deepens.
- You can add fresh ginger instead of dry ginger.
- You can add grated khoya or milk powder to milk when boiling to reduce it faster.
- Use good quality tea powder for perfect colour chai.
Storage & Serving
Decoction and reduced milk can be stored in fridge and reheated when serving. Serve immediately with biscuits or bun maska.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingsCalories: 326kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 156mgPotassium: 537mgFiber: 2gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 504IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 444mgIron: 0.5mg
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