Kashmir's unique Gulabi Chai
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| Gulabi Chai |
Originally a Himalayan drink, pink tea goes from nun chai (salt tea) to gulabi chai (rose-hued tea) with many names throughout South Asia, some of which refer to its unique color and taste. Salt and baking soda are the other important ingredients.
Salt acts as an electrolyte to prevent high altitude dehydration and baking soda is the catalyst that turns it pink. The tea is tailor-made for cold weather, flavored with spices like star anise and topped with crushed nuts. In Kashmir, nun chai is several times a day drunk boiling hot, followed by an assortment of breads: crispy kulcha, dimpled girda, or bagel-like tsochwor.
So we will see how we can make this unique colored tea.
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| Credit:matsontea.com |
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups of water;
- 3 Tablespoons of Kashmiri tea
- 9 Crushed green cardamom, (choti elaichi)
- Cinnamon 3 inches, chip split (dal cheeni)
- 1⁄4 to half teaspoon of salt
- Baking soda 1⁄4 teaspoon (khane ka soda)
- 1 Cup fresh water, (pani)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar (cheeni),(optional, since sugar is not added to Kashmiri tea but some non-Kashmiri people like it sweet).
- 2 Strong cup milk or 3 cup milk for light, (dhood)
- Crème 1⁄2 cup, available
- 1 Tablespoon of grounded pistachios, (pista), optional
- 1 Tablespoon of ground almonds, optional (badaam)
Steps
- Boil water, Kashmiri tea leaves, salt and cardamom, cinnamon, to start making the Kashmiri Noon Chai Recipe.
- Bring it to a boil and let cook for a minute. Now apply some baking soda.
- Cook more until color is dark red and water is reduced to half. (20-30 min).
- Apply ice cold water to a hot tea boiling. Mix well inside 1 minute.
- Kehwa is ready for action. For 3-4 days, you can strain, cool, and store in the fridge.
- Add the milk, sugar (if used) and powdered dry fruits to kehwa when making tea.
- Pour into a cup, then serve the sweet Kashmiri Noon Chai.
- On a cold winter evening, serve Kashmiri Noon Chai Recipe along with Indian Spicy Masala Cookies.
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| Credit:doovido.com |
Science Behind Pink Color of Kashmir Tea
Tea leaves contain hundreds of different forms of polyphenols, which in alkaline conditions can become protonated at acid pH or ionized. Hence, polyphenols and, consequently, the tea may serve as markers of natural acid base. Polyphenols in green or Kashmiri chai specifically act similar to phenolsulfonphthalein, a common pH indicator better known as phenol red, which is yellow at acid pH and red in alkaline conditions.
During Noon chai preparation, tea leaves are boiled for a long time ( approximately an hour) to optimize polyphenol extraction. It is not recommended to use tea bags, as it can decrease the efficiency of polyphenols extraction. The tea extract assumes a red color by adding baking soda which turns pink with the final addition of milk.In the case of Kashmiri chai blend or green tea, as the pH is alkaline the extract turns from pale-brown yellow to dark-brown red color. For this purpose it is important to add baking soda to obtain the signature pink color.
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