Irani Chai (Irani Tea) is a rich, creamy, and aromatic milk tea popular in the old Irani cafés of Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune. It is made by brewing strong black tea and slowly simmering milk separately before combining them just before serving. This gives Irani Chai its signature bold flavor and smooth, creamy texture. It is best enjoyed with Osmania Biscuits or Bun Maska.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Beverages
  • Cuisine: Hyderabadi, Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 3½ teaspoons black tea (- CTC dust or Assam tea leaves)
  • 4 to 5 green cardamoms (- lightly crushed)
  • 3 cloves (- lightly crushed)
  • ¾ inch cinnamon stick (- optional, lightly crushed)
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons sugar (- or adjust to taste)
  • 2 to 3 drops of rose water (or kewra water - optional)

Method

Prepare Thickened Milk

  1. In a saucepan, heat full-fat milk or whole milk.
  2. Bring it to a boil and simmer on low to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
  3. Let the milk reduce by about ¼ over low to medium-low heat. This process takes around 15 to 20 minutes in total and makes the milk richer and slightly thicker, enhancing the creaminess of the chai.
  4. You'll know the milk is reduced when the volume is down to 1.5 cups and the milk will look slightly creamier and richer in color.
  5. Once the milk has reduced and thickened, add sugar to it and stir to dissolve.
  6. Optional: Add a few drops of rose water or kewra water at the end for a floral aroma.

Make Tea Decoction

  1. Take the spices – cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a mortar. Crush these lightly with a pestle.
  2. Meanwhile when the milk is simmering, in another saucepan, take water and the crushed spices.
  3. Bring this water added with the spices to a boil.
  4. Add black tea and simmer on low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the water has a nice amber color.Opt to strain and keep the tea decoction hot in a flask if you prefer.

Make Irani Chai

  1. Once the tea decoction is ready, turn off the heat of the stovetop where the milk is simmering. Lift the saucepan and pour about ⅓ to ½ cup thick hot milk into a cup.
  2. Take the saucepan with the hot tea decoction. Using a strainer, strain ¼ to ⅓ cup hot tea decoction in the cup with the thick milk. Adjust to taste depending on how strong or milky you want your Irani Chai.
  3. Stir gently and serve Irani Chai hot. Prepare Irani Tea this way in for more servings.

Serving Suggestions

  1. Irani Chai is best served hot, paired with Osmania biscuits, bun maska, or khari biscuits.
  2. It also goes well with simple bakery-style cakes or rusk for a classic chai-time experience.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.