If you know me, you know that I’m a chai addict. I can’t go a day with out it and, honestly, I think it’s a problem. Anyways, I recently came across a chai that is pink…yes, pink! And that was enough reason for me having to try it out myself.
You are probably wondering why you would ever need the best Kashmiri chai recipe in your life and why you should keep reading/care about what I’m saying, so I’m just straight-up going to tell you those reasons.
- Why not try something new. You just really won’t know if you like something if you don’t give it a shot! So give this recipe a try and it may just become your favorite thing in the world.
- It’s a great beverage to serve as a host. Having a few friends over? Why not serve them a pink drink? It’s always fun to try something new with the people you love and it is also a great conversation starter!
- You’ll have tried it before Starbucks goes ahead and adds it to their menu and makes it ~trendy~. Ok, so maybe this one is a stretch, but seriously you never know. Starbucks could be working on their Pink Drink 2.0. You could be a #trendsetter.
I might be sounding crazy, but my point is to just try something new!
THE RECIPES I USED
I was on the hunt for the best Kashmiri chai recipes to try out. Seriously, I got my grandma excited about this pink drink too. I could not disappoint. So, as any person does, I went to snooping through Google’s top rated Kashmiri chai recipes. Most of them were quite similar, but I did find some variations of the chai to try out. I wanted to see what really works best and which one you should give a try.
These are the two recipes that I made:
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
The main differences that I noted between these recipes is the milk type, one used evaporated milk and the other uses whole. Other differences include opt-ing in and out of using a star anise and using green tea bags versus the loose tea.
You may not think that would make a huge difference. But it does! Just look at these pictures:
The All Floured Up recipe calls for evaporated milk which really took away the pink color and left it looking like my normal masala chai with just some pink hues. The Love Laugh Mirchi recipe is definitely true to the pink color that Kashmiri chai is known for.
NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE TASTE, HUH?
The All Floured Up recipe has a sweet taste with a creamy texture and the Love Laugh Mirchi recipe is more salty and fragrant.
Trying out both of these recipes was such a surprise because these recipes had such a familiar smell when I was brewing them, yet the taste was so unexpected! Seriously, I was expecting just a pink version of the masala chai I normally make since the recipe uses a lot of the same spices like cinnamon and cardamom. I was pleasantly surprised when it was nothing close to what I’m used to having.
It makes sense though. Masala chai uses black tea whereas Kashmiri chai calls for green tea.
DO THE DIFFERENCES IN THESE RECIPES ACTUALLY MATTER?
Yes, of course it does! The quality of the the tea you use, the variations in the spice mix you use, and the dairy that you use all matter. These are all key ingredients that can really change how your chai tastes.
Let’s talk about the tea leaves first.
Kashmiri chai is made from green tea, so of course the quality of the tea you brew will matter. The All Floured Up recipe called for Lipton green tea bags and for the Love Laugh Mirchi recipe I used loose leaf green tea by the brand Vahdam. I don’t know about you, but I have always been told that loose leaf tea is better. And you can run a quick Google search on why if you want, but you can just imagine the difference in the flavor of a loose leaf, 100% pure green tea versus a generic Lipton tea bag.
The difference is just as noticeable in these chai recipes. The All Floured Up recipe doesn’t have that strong of a green tea flavor. Most of the spices and green tea taste are overpowered by the sweetness of the evaporated milk and sugar. In the Love Laugh Mirchi recipe, you can really see the flavors of the green tea shine through and you don’t miss the warmth of the cinnamon and cardamom either.
What the heck is a star anise?
I had no idea what this was when I was looking through these recipes. I’ve never used or seen this used in my masala chai or even just in Indian cooking until now. But as I do, I went to my grandma for more information and she told me about how fragrant it is and how people even add it into their masala chai for its flavor.
Anyways, it tastes amazing! It really is an extra something and can be excluded if you don’t have access to it, but it just compliments the other chai spices so well. You can just tell the difference when it’s there and when it’s not.
Evaporated milk versus Whole milk
I think that this is the absolute game changer. As much as the flavors of the green tea and star anise count, the milk that you use will change the way how those flavors taste in your Kashmiri chai. If you are looking for something sweet, creamy, and a bit less on the spices, use evaporated milk. However, if you are looking to taste ALL the spices then use whole milk. It is not as heavy as the evaporated milk, so it really allows all the flavors to shine through.
This next section is about how you can adapt these recipes to your tastes.
Now, I’ve done a lot of talking about “comparing” these two recipes, but there really is no one superior recipe between these two. They both have parts that I really liked and parts that I could have adapted to better suit my tastes. Recipes are very subjective because of this. We all have different taste preferences, so your “best” recipe may not be the “best” for someone else.
These recipes are very adaptable and I’m sure you can find the best version for yourself. Here are some ideas of what you can try:
If you are someone who enjoys the cream texture of evaporated milk, yet still wants to get the flavor of all the spices, here’s what you can do:
- Use the Love Laugh Mirchi recipe and substitute the whole milk with half the amount of evaporated milk
- Use the All Floured Up recipe and substitute the 1 can of evaporated milk for 1/3 cup of evaporated milk
If you are someone who enjoys the flavor of all the spices but doesn’t have a salty tooth, here is what you can do:
- Use the Love Laugh Mirchi recipe and instead of using 1/4 tsp of sea salt, use 1/8tsp
FINAL THOUGHTS…
Making Kashmiri chai requires some serious patience. It’s not a quick 10 minute recipe like masala chai, it is a whole 30-40 minute PROCESS. So be aware of this when you get started!
These recipes are definitely a must to try out! Now, if you are looking for something that will give you the same vibes that a masala chai gives, this is not it. I don’t think that I can completely replace my everyday chai with Kashmiri chai. Chai time just wouldn’t hit the same plus I don’t have 40 minutes to spare on making a beverage everyday. Regardless, this is a great beverage to sip on from time to time and definitely worth giving a try!
Use the recipes as is or take into account some of my recommendations. Have fun with it and enjoy!
