Cuisine: Telangana
Category: Beverage
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 20 min
Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
🌿 Vegetarian
Strong tea simmered for a long time then served with separately heated full-fat milk — the Hyderabadi cafe culture drink that has Persian roots.
Ingredients
- For the decoction:
- 4 tsp strong loose leaf tea (CTC or Assam)
- 2 cups water
- 2 to 3 tbsp sugar
- For the milk:
- 1.5 cups full-fat milk — simmered separately until slightly reduced and a skin forms on top
Method
- Make the tea decoction: bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small pot.
- Add tea leaves and sugar. Reduce to medium-low.
- Simmer for 15 to 18 minutes — significantly longer than regular chai. The decoction becomes very concentrated and dark, almost syrupy.
- Simultaneously simmer full-fat milk in a separate pot on medium-low for 10 to 12 minutes until it reduces slightly and develops a thin skin on top.
- This simmered milk is much richer than regular cold milk.
- To serve: pour 2 to 3 tbsp of the concentrated tea decoction into a cup.
- Top with 3/4 cup of the warm simmered milk — do not stir.
- The two layers remain distinct for a moment before combining.
- The Irani chai should be strong, slightly sweet and have the character of simmered milk.