There’s a definite nip in the air and all those chai-coffee cravings are coming right back! But instead of your regular coffee, why not try the Kashmiri chai – a hot beverage that has become quintessentially Lakhnawi.
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT KASHMIRI CHAI?
Don’t be fooled by its name: though it sounds like an everyday, simple beverage, it’s far from it. In fact, making Kashmiri chai is a laborious task, and is made using green tea-leaves, which are infused in boiling water through a cloth. This is done to make straining the tea easy, as the leaves are very fine. Once the tealeaves are done, the tea is tossed several times, the more it is tossed the more colour it will have. The tea is then tested in a small amount of milk, to see the resulting colour – it should be a lovely, blushing pink. The rest of the ingredients – baking soda, milk, crushed cashews or almonds, cardamom and a pinch of salt to bind all the tastes together are then added. The blend is let to simmer for an hour or more. The real flavour of the tea comes out when it is prepared in a copper samovar and served in small cups with floral designs on it.
The Kashmiri chai is best accompanied by a plain triangle samosa – which resembles a puff pastry in taste and texture.
WHERE?
Different vendors set up their stalls in the old city area of Chowk, Nazirabad and Nakhas. However one of the oldest and most recommended is Samad chaiwala who sets up his shanty near the Akbari Gate slope. The Kashmiri tea leaves are available with few tea merchants in the area like Golden Tea Corner.
WHEN?
Though it is available throughout the day, it is definitely in demand on cool winter evenings. Top it with some malai and dip the samosa in the tea and enjoy the warmth of this delicious beverage.
Timings: On stalls from 8 am to 11 pm
Price: Rs. 6 for a cup of tea
