A thick, sweet, pink-tinted milk tea from Pakistan's Pashtun northwest, made with green cardamom and baking soda. The national drink of daily life in Peshawar.
Pashtun chai, also called Peshawari chai or kawah, is the everyday drink of the Pashtun regions of Pakistan, the cup that accompanies every meal, every meeting, every guest. Unlike the more spiced Karachi-style doodh pati, Pashtun chai is made with green tea leaves (not black), boiled with milk, sugar, green cardamom and a pinch of baking soda, which gives the characteristic thick, creamy texture and a faint pink tint. The tea is boiled vigorously for 15 to 20 minutes, much longer than Indian chai, until it reduces to a thick, intensely sweet, cardamom-perfumed cup that is almost a meal in itself. Eaten with paratha or sheer khurma for breakfast, or served to guests at any hour, Pashtun chai is the hospitality drink of the northwest.
Thick, creamy, intensely sweet with a warm cardamom perfume, the faint pink colour a signature. Each sip coats the mouth with rich milk and tea, warming from the inside out.
The technique is a long boil of green tea with milk and baking soda. Water is brought to a boil with green tea leaves, green cardamom pods and a pinch of baking soda (the soda reacts with the tea's tannins, giving the characteristic pink colour and thick texture). The mixture is boiled hard for 10 minutes, then milk and sugar are added, and boiled for another 10 minutes until the tea is thick and creamy. The long boiling concentrates the tea and reduces the liquid, creating a dense, sweet drink. The cardamom is crushed lightly before adding to release its flavour. The tea is strained into small cups and served immediately.
Variations
Some add pistachios or almonds. A saltier version is drunk in winter.
On the Palate
Where Pashtun Chai sits in the Pakistani flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
4 steps · 5 min
- 15 min
Boil 500ml water with 2 tbsp green tea leaves, 4 crushed cardamom pods and a pinch of baking soda for 10 minutes.
- 27 min
Add 500ml milk and 4 tbsp sugar; boil hard for 10 more minutes until thick and creamy.
Watch outBoil hard with the milk the full ten minutes until it thickens and turns creamy — this long reduction is what concentrates the tea; cut it short and it stays thin and weak.
- 34 min
Strain into small cups; serve immediately.
- 43 min
Accompany with paratha or sheer khurma.
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