Name: Kulhad Tandoori Chai
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 400 ml Whole Milk, chilled or room temperature; 150 ml Water, for boiling decoction; 2 tbsp Black Tea Leaves, strong CTC tea; 2 tbsp Sugar, to taste; 10 g Ginger, freshly crushed; ¼ tsp Ground Cardamom, for aroma; 1 Charcoal, for smoking effect

20 mintotal

Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Ingredients

400 mlWhole Milkchilled or room temperature
150 mlWaterfor boiling decoction
2 tbspBlack Tea Leavesstrong CTC tea
2 tbspSugarto taste
10 gGingerfreshly crushed
¼ tspGround Cardamomfor aroma
1Charcoalfor smoking effect

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Active time includes brewing the chai and smoking it with hot charcoal in a kulhad.

Method

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the crushed ginger and black tea leaves, allowing it to simmer until a strong decoction forms.
Pour in the full fat milk, sugar, and cardamom powder. Let the tea come to a rolling boil, then lower the flame and simmer for a few minutes until it thickens slightly. Strain the tea into a heatproof jar.
Meanwhile, hold the piece of charcoal over an open direct flame using tongs until it is red hot and glowing from all sides.
Place a traditional clay cup (kulhad) in a deep pan. Carefully drop the glowing hot charcoal into the empty clay cup.
Slowly pour the hot strained tea over the charcoal inside the kulhad. Let it bubble and foam into the pan so the tea picks up an earthy smoky aroma.
Carefully remove the charcoal. Serve the frothy, smoky tea immediately in fresh clay cups for an authentic street-style experience.

How to tell it's done

Frothy, rich, and creamy with a deeply infused smoky and earthy aroma.

Getting it right

Tip

Heat the empty kulhad before adding the tea; the warm clay gives a stronger earthy aroma.

What to serve it with

Best enjoyed during monsoons or winter evenings paired with hot Aloo Samosa or Bun Maska.

Fresh Pudina Chaas

Fresh Pudina Chaas is a thin mint buttermilk with roasted cumin, black salt, and a small green chilli kick for lunch plates.

5 minvegetarian

Ganga Jamuna Saraswati Juice

Ganga Jamuna Saraswati Juice is a Mumbai street-style blend of orange, sweet lime, and pomegranate juices with black salt.

10 minvegan

Golden Haldi Doodh (Turmeric Milk)

Golden haldi doodh warms milk with turmeric, black pepper, ginger, ghee, and jaggery for a gently spiced Indian turmeric milk.

7 minvegetarian

Gudacha Chaha (Jaggery Tea)

Gudacha chaha is a Maharashtrian jaggery tea with black tea, ginger, cardamom, hot milk, and earthy sweetness.

10 minvegetarian

Gujarati Ayurvedic Ukala

Gujarati Ukala is a warm spiced milk with dry ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom simmered into a creamy winter drink.

12 minvegetarian

Gujarati Variyali Doodh

Gujarati Variyali Doodh is a chilled fennel milk with cardamom and sugar, made by soaking, blending, and straining fennel seeds.

2 hr 15 minvegetarian