How to make Kashmiri chai — plus the secret to that pretty pink hue

While this Kashmiri chai is comforting year-round, it’s particularly enjoyable in the depths of winter. And since here we are, what better recipe to make right now than this pretty pink tea from Maryam Jillani’s cookbook, Pakistan? Keep a batch of the concentrate on hand so you can simply add milk and heat whenever you’re craving a cup.

The following has been reprinted, with permission, from Pakistan: Recipes and Stories from Home Kitchens, Restaurants, and Roadside Stands.

Kashmiri Chai / Pink Tea

By Maryam Jillani

You know it’s winter when it’s Kashmiri chai season. Typically served at weddings after dinner, it’s a delightful way to close the festivities. What makes this tea distinctive is its bright pink color. My Lahore-based aunt, Fatma Shah, whose maternal side is Kashmiri, instructed that the authentic way to get this tea’s beautiful hue is to give the tea a cold-water shock and aerate it until the leaves turn a burgundy red. Many home cooks today, however, take a shortcut and add baking soda to speed up the process. You can refrigerate the tea in an airtight container for up to a month. When ready to serve, warm it, add milk, and top with nuts of your choice.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (960 ml) ice-cold water
• ¼ cup (20 g) loose Kashmiri tea leaves
• 4 green cardamom pods, cracked
• 1 star anise (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups (960 ml) full-fat milk
• Sugar, for sweetening
• 2 tablespoons roughly crushed pistachios (optional)

Preparation

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups (480 ml) of the ice-cold water to a boil over high heat. Add the tea leaves, cardamom pods, star anise (if using), and salt. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes until the liquid reduces by half. 

Stir in the baking soda and, once it foams, start aerating the tea—pouring the liquid into the saucepan from a height with a ladle—for about 3 minutes until the color begins to change. Add the remaining 2 cups (480 ml) ice-cold water and let the tea cook over medium heat for 15 minutes while continuing to aerate it. Once the tea acquires a deep burgundy hue, remove the pan from the heat and strain the tea into another clean saucepan or airtight container for later use. This will yield roughly 2 cups (480 ml) tea. 

To serve, bring the strained tea to a gentle simmer in a saucepan and add the milk. Once warm, stir in the sugar to taste. Pour into cups. Top with pistachios (if using), before serving.

Serves 6

Excerpted with permission from Pakistan: Recipes and Stories from Home Kitchens, Restaurants, and Roadside Stands by Maryam Jillani. Photography by Sonny Thakur. Published by ‎Hardie Grant North America, March 2025.