What is Irani Chai?

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the Hyderabadi cuisine is Hyderabadi Biryani. But recently I made Irani Chai or Hyderabadi Chai. And it blew my mind. This was on my to-do list since quite some time but I kept on postponing it. Finally, I made it and it was one of the best tea ever.

Milk is simmered till thick and creamy and added to strong tea decoction to make Irani chai. Few uncommon ingredients which go in Irani tea are condensed milk and time. Yes, Hyderabadi Chai takes somewhere around 30-40 minutes to be prepared. Also, condensed milk or khoya is added for the enhanced richness which is not very common for the chai recipes. Irani chai can be served for special tea time or tea party. The most popular accompaniment for Hyderabadi chai is Osmania biscuit.

Let’s talk about the ingredients for Irani Chai

Chai is basically a combination of milk, water, tea powder, and sugar. At times chai is flavored with masala to make Masala tea. Masala chai recipe given here is not only flavorful but also helps to fight the cold, flu, etc. Irani chai is different from the chai we regularly make and it calls for

Condensed Milk: Whenever I have some surplus milk and I am not in the mood to make any milk-based dessert, I make condensed milk and use it later as and when required. Condensed milk has a good shelf life. And can be used in a number of recipes.

Tea Powder: Irani tea calls for a more quantity of tea powder or chai patti than our regular chai.

Milk: Just as chai patti, more milk is required to make Irani tea. 4 cups of milk is simmered and reduced to approx 1 and ½ cup to make 2 cups of Irani chai

Sugar: Condensed milk adds quite some sweetness to Irani chai. Although I like my chai too sweet, Iran chai I prefer mildly and less sweet and therefore I did not add any sugar. You can add up to 2 tbsp of sugar for 2 cups of Irani chai.

Flavor: If you wish you can flavor Irani tea with cardamom. I love the typical chai flavor and therefore did not add any.

Similar Recipes on the Blog:

I am a tea addict and love trying different flavors of chai. I make masala tea on a regular basis. And at the time I like to make cardamom tea. Other than these there are a number of flavors which I have tried. Here is the collection of chai recipes you might like.

How to serve Irani Chai:

Serve it hot with Osmania biscuits. Osmania biscuits are another delicacy from Hyderabadi cuisine. I love these with my chai be it Irani Chai or non-Irani chai. We get these from the market because I have yet to crack the recipe for the same.