Give Love A Chai

 

Pink Chai Hot Chocolate

Love In A Cup - Pink Chai Hot Chocolate 

 

We have been good with our health and fitness resolutions (for the most) this January. Come February, stores fill with our health kryptonite, aka Chocolate. We have made an informed decision to indulge just a little bit this weekend, and we figured Valentine's Day and Chocolate go together, so how about mixing two of the best food creations- Pink Chai & Chocolate. 

 

One of the favorite winter teas is Pink Chai.  It is a little savory, salty, and sweet, but not overly so. The Chai Bar's Kashmiri Pink Chai is named "Gulabi," which translates to Pink; this blend has pretty pink rose petals with green tea and spices. A smooth and elegant brew. With rosy notes, a hint of nuttiness, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of star anise.

 

White Chocolate only heightens the flavor of this chai. Many have compared the chai itself to Spanish white Chocolate. 

As the name suggests, this chai originated in Kashmir, the northernmost part of India, where winters' temperature dips down to -30°C. So, this hot, creamy, and spicy drink is perfect for the cooler months. A steaming cup of this tea is sure to warm you up from within. To read more about the flavor of Noon Chai, visit our blog post on Pink Chai. 

 

Valentine's Day is all about love, and we sure do love our customers, so we make sure to give you the best we can in terms of quality. 

Our social media feed is full of different kinds of Pink Tea; come February, the color pink is even more alluring. However, many of these beverages don't use tea leaves; most have added pigment like artificial food color. Some use beetroot powder or another natural coloring. 

 

The Chai Bar's Kashmiri Pink Chai does not have any added pigment or food color. Unlike some dipping bags that would give you a chai that is a neon, almost highlighter pink, our chai blend results in a beautiful dusty fuchsia tea. We highly recommend you make Kashmiri Pink Chai using a non pigmented blend. 

 

On that au-natural note, if you're doing a fancy high-tea, pair pink chai with a fresh fruit salad. We attempt to sneak in some healthy food in every meal. Add some fine-apple, and your stomach will thank you berry-much; it's the perfect pair. Ok, that's all the fruit puns from us for today. 

If you're more of a baked goods tea pairing person, try this sugar-free cake for a sugar-free Valentine's cake. If you don't have time to bake a cake, this is the perfect opportunity to support your local bakery or cottage cake store

 

While we have a detailed recipe and video for making Traditional Kashmiri Pink Chai and Easy Pink Chai on The Chai Bar Blog, we wanted to post another easy Pink Chai recipe here. For those to whom, Kashmiri Chai has always been a bit of an enigma. As Izzah, from Tea for Turmeric says,  "An aspirational, meticulously prepared drink that requires hours of attention, tea leaves from a particular region, a bicep workout, and a good dose of patience. And only then will it be the correct shade of Pink…possibly." 

This is not a traditional Noon Chai recipe, but an accessible version that's still delicious (however, the resulting Pink color may vary if you skip the conventional chai pulling)

While there are many recipes available online, the recipe depends on the tea leaves used, and though you're free to experiment with recipes you like, if you follow our recipe closely, it is most likely to give you accurate results. 

 

Serves: 5 

 

Ingredients 

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups ice-cold water

4 tbsp Gulabi blend

2.5 cups Full-fat milk 

(replace with Full-fat canned coconut cream for vegan no moo-brew)

1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream 

(Replace with Canned coconut cream for a vegan no moo-brew)

5 Tbsp powdered sugar for sweet tea / 2-2.5 tbsp sweetener of choice like cane sugar, brown sugar, and date syrup

5 Tbsp chopped white chocolate

0.5 Tsp baking soda

1 Tsp rose water

3/4 Tsp salt

 

Equipment

2 Metal cups for chai pulling or a blender

2 Medium size pots (use at least 2-quart pot for this)

Strainer

Heat resistant gloves

 

Method

1. Add water and Gulabi tea blend to a pot on medium to high flame. Boil it for 8 mins.

2. Add baking soda, let it fizz, and stir. Stir and boil for 2 mins more.

3. Add ice-cold water. Stir and boil for 3 minutes more.

  • (Occasionally, use a ladle to aerate (scoop and pour back) the tea. You'll notice the froth in the water go from pale green to a deep pink color. If not, add another 1/8 tsp of baking soda.** The water will be greatly reduced, almost evaporated.

4. Strain the tea and proceed to chai pulling using two metal cups or add the chai to a blender and blitz it for 15 sec, stop, open the blender and let air in, then blend again for 30 sec, stop and open the blender and then again for 15 sec.  

5. In another medium-size pot, add milk, heavy cream, White Chocolate, and sugar. Bring it to a simmer.

  • If you'd like, you can aerate several times to deepen the color. Add the milk, heavy cream salt, and sweetener. Allow it to come to a light boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Do not allow it to boil for too long as it'll start to lose some of its pink color. Taste and adjust salt and sweetener.

6. Add pulled chai to simmering milk. Bring it to a boil.

7. Turn off the stove, add salt and rose water.

8. Pour in cups and garnish with rose/almonds and pistachios. 

 

Note: For more tips with pictures and video, please see our blog post on how to make Kashmiri Pink Chai. *Recipe add ons inspired by Izzah. 

Hope you have a sweet, and spicy weekend, 

Chai Bye,

Sargam & Madura. 

 

 


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