Kashmiri Pink Tea: Noon Chai

 "Noon" chai, also spelled "nun," is also called "Kashmiri Chai," and Kashmiris commonly have it with breakfast and again at afternoon tea, and at times in the evening.

 

Use a brand of green tea with no added ingredients like mint, vanilla, or bergamot (bergamot is a citrus fruit and an additive to Earl Grey black and green teas). Any good Chinese, Indian or Ceylon green tea should work well, and I tried three different types of green tea, but there were differences in the "pinkness" for each type. It seems the pink color is just for fun, because the taste of the tea is not really changed by how pink the tea is (at least in my opinion). In Kashmir they use Kashmiri green tea leaves, which have the unique name of "Kashmiri green tea leaves." hahaha What, you thought they'd use Argentine tea leaves, or "hojas de té argentino," which means, "Argentine tea leaves?" Wow, Argentina uses another unique name. 

 

There are variations to make Kashmiri chai, with some people using several spices, but I've just used green cardamom pods, which are available in spice shops and in some supermarkets, and you need to crush them a little to allow the flavor to be infused into the tea during brewing (although you can leave the shell on). Some people use ground cardamom, a small cinnamon stick and some cloves, as well as some saffron strands, and even star anise. Understand, not all Kashmiri chai includes all of these spices, as they are used according to individual preferences. Kashmiris simmer the tea for quite awhile to make a "tea concentrate," although again, the cooking process can vary as to how much water and milk is added and how long the tea is cooked. Once the cooking process is complete, salt and often some sugar are then added for serving, sometimes along with some chopped pistachios and chopped almonds. I want to note here, I prefer to add some sugar, as well as a little salt to this tea, but it's my understanding that it is common for Kashmiris to just add salt. The tea is often served with flatbreads specific to the Kashmir region.

 

Ingredients (4 smaller servings, 2 larger servings):

 

2 1/2 tablespoons green tea leaves

2 cups water, to start, then another 2 cups

(optional) 4 or 5 saffron strands

6 to 8 cardamon pods, crushed

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

For serving:

more salt, to taste, if desired

(optional) sugar, to taste

crushed pistachios and/or sliced almonds  

In a pan, let 2 cups water come to a boil, then stir in the green tea, cardamom pods, and baking soda (optionally also the saffron). Reduce the heat to keep the tea at a steady simmer, while stirring frequently, almost constantly. Simmer until only about 1/4 of the water remains, then add 2 more cups of cold fresh water to the tea. Increase the heat again until the tea returns to a boil, then as before, reduce the heat and keep the tea at a steady simmer. Let the liquid cook down again, but this time until 1/2 of the liquid remains, then add the milk. Let the tea return to a simmer and continue to simmer it for a total of about 12 to 15 minutes, by which time it should cook down a bit again. Serve with a pinch of salt, some sugar, if desired, and some added crushed pistachios and/or almonds.    

 

 With some crushed pistachios and almonds ...

WORD HISTORY:

Cardamom-The ultimate origins of the parts of this compound word are unknown. It seems likely the word "cardamom" is a blending and overlapping of "cardamon" and the similar "amomon." "Cardamom" goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "kárdamomon," which seems to be a word that combined 1) transliterated "kárdamon," a word of unknown origin (although see more below), but which meant "cress," a type of spicy plant (with many actual variations), and 2) transliterated "amomon," another word of uncertain origin (some believe it to be from China or elsewhere in Asia), but which seems to have been applied to the black cardamom plant. The word "kárdamon" "may have" come out of one or more of the languages of southwestern Asia, including Hittite from Anatolia (essentially now Turkey, but before the Turks arrived there). Latin borrowed the Greek compound "kárdamomon" as "cardamomum," which by then meant "cardamom," in general, including both the black and green types, which are both from the "ginger family," but each from its own genus and both have pods containing seeds used as a seasoning. The Latin form "cardamomum" passed to Latin-based French as "cardamome," and English borrowed the word in the mid 1500s, likely from Latin, but perhaps popularized by French culinary usage.