This Chai Is Seriously ADDICTIVE

Karak Chai is one of the most popular drinks in the Gulf Countries of the Middle East, I'd even say this gulf chai karak is Addictive. It's a lightly spiced chai with a strong tea flavour, basically a ginger cardamom tea. I love having this gulf karak tea instead of coffee, and it only takes a few minutes to make.
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0:00 What is Chai Karak
0:19 My quick "Chai"
1:12 The real deal Chai Karak
4:01 Serving Suggestions
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Dubai's Best Karak - Khalid Al Ameri
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Quick "Chai"
1 Tea bag
4 Green Cardamom pods, cracked
1-2 Tbsp Condensed or Evaporated milk

Chai Karak
1 1/2 Cup Water (room temp)
1 Cup Evaporated Milk
2 Tbsp Sugar (use less if you want)
3 Tsp Loose Strong Black Tea
3-4 g Fresh Ginger
4 Green Cardamom pods
2 Cloves
8 Threads Saffron
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To make the quick chai:

1- Crack the cardamom pods and place in your mug with the tea bag
2- Pour over boiling water and brew to desired strength
3- Add the Condensed milk and serve

To make Chai Karak
1- Add the black tea to your pot with the spices
2- Slice the ginger into strips and add as well
3- Pour over the room temp water and bring to a boil
4- Add the sugar, then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
5- When the time is up, add the evaporated milk. DO NOT leave the pot as it will boil over if you do
6- Continue to cook over medium-high heat (2-3 minutes) until the Chai comes to a boil
7- Repeat this 3-5 times to make the texture velvety:
a. Bring the pot to a boil so the chai foams up
b. Remove the pot from the stove so that the foam dies down
c. Once the pot has stopped boiling completely, place this back on the stove
After this, strain the tea and serve it hot or cold

[MiddleEats]

CORRECTION:

I accidentally said Condensed Milk instead of evaporated milk in the authentic recipe. Make sure you use evaporated milk as written in the description.

[Hazatroll]

One suggestion for the real deal, never put saffron as is into the pot! Correct way to use saffron in Chai (or any dish) is to let them sit in a glass of hot (but NOT boiling) water for at least 5 minutes. Then, use the saffron water in the Chai. Otherwise saffron gives unwanted bitterness.

[ems]

Those spice trade routes over the Indian ocean are some of the more overlooked trading routes in world history. Everyone loves to talk about the silk road and European global maritime empires. But the two Indian ocean trade routes - Gulf to India and Red Sea to Zanzibar - were just as world-shaping.

[lozoft]

A word for westerners looking to try this: that tea he's using is called CTC or "mamri" tea. It can be found in most Indian grocery stores in the west as brands like Danedar and Wagh Bakri. It's necessary b/c the strength of brew you get from normal loose leaf black tea will not cut through the dairy and spices.

[andrewxiong]

Can I just say, those clear ice were esthetically pleasing to see. I will definitely make this drink.

[NicePersonNumberSeven]

I just redid my recipe books and I realized that my very finest, treasured, and best-tasting recipes are from you.
I am 70yo and started seriously collecting recipes at age 16, from all over the world.
So, if anyone hasn’t told you how fabulous you are today . . . you are fabulous. ❤️
Thank you for making my home a hive of delicious-ness.

[r.h.]

well its pretty much the exact same version of Chai we make in India everyday...Karak Chai literally translates to Strong tea in Hindi...the only difference is we use regular milk instead of condensed milk and Saffron is optional...we also use loose black tea leaves to make chai in India instead of pods and i love that this version of chai is so popular in UAE too

[SG-jsqn]

Some people are more sensitive to certain flavors. When i prepare a chai for my sister, I make sure to let the milk foam up (which it will do more than once if you keep cooking it), because she loves the caramelized flavor of the boiled milk, and that's how you get that flavor. Another tip: the more fat you have in your milk, the more the spices get absorbed by it and disappear. Yet another tip: while you may want to totally avoid sugar, having a little in there helps bring out the spices. Final tip: you can use turmeric instead of saffron.

[kvnss]

⚠SOME SUGGESTIONS⚠
Rather than cutting and slicing the ginger, it's better to take similar or half the quantity of ginger and crushing it a little, just like how the cardamom pods were crushed. It releases more of its flavour this way, so use sparingly.
Instead of putting the tea in plain water and boiling the mixture, you could boil the water first, then add tea leaves to the rolling boil water. This extracts a LOT of flavor very instantly (No kidding). If going this route, you can use condensed milk as you would not have to boil the mixture any further. Make sure to froth the mixture by pouring it between two glasses.
Finally, rather than lifting the pot, you can also reduce the flame to medium/simmer and keep stirring the millk. Works the same way lol.

[EmilyJelassi]

I’m addicted to chai, but I have to make mine slightly different since I’m lactose intolerant. I usually use oat or coconut milk. I also sometimes add just a bit of vanilla paste at the end of boiling and stir it in. I know it’s not traditional, but it adds an extra depth of flavor and tastes delicious!!

[jac]

my parents once told me that when they were young adults, their neighbor offered them some chai, and it was so thick, rich and sweet they didnt eat for the rest of the day 😂 they drank cups and cups because they were used to drinking chamomile

[bibimbap]

In my country Bangladesh, we make something similar to this called Moshla Cha (spice tea). But we don't use the repeated boiling method you showed so i will definitely be trying it the next time. Another popular tea over here is Gur Malai tea which is just black tea, date Molasses and evaporated milk brewed together. My personal favorite is citrus tea which is much lighter and dairy free. Just add citrus ( my fav is orange) and a bit of ginger and clove if you're feeling special. Everyone makes tea so differently it's always a treat to learn about other people's recipes.

[MyrtletheTurtle]

When I make chai I start by simmering the ginger and cardamom pods for about 5 minutes first before adding the tea. Simmer tea for a few minutes then add milk and simmer all together for another 5-10 min (depending on how strong you like the tea). I use regular milk, but in a 1/2 milk to 1/2 tea ratio. You can sweeten with sugar or honey. Thanks for the video!

[aplaceinthestars]

Even for the sad old spices and English breakfast tea I used, both versions were delicious. I really appreciate how the simple version still makes a great drink. For all the work needed for the full version, definitely worth doubling- especially nice that I had a lovely hot cup on a day where the summer heat finally broke. Yaaay~

[nismasdiary]

in the subcontinent we also prefer drinking "doodh patti" which literally translates to milk tea. The steps in it are similar to the last one except water is not added. Instead, we directly add milk and let the tea boil. It's absolutely creamy and delicious. Although most of the time we don't add all these extra spices, just some tea, and sugar

[ekamsat]

This particular tea, like no other food, gives a geographical tour of the subcontinent. Traditionally, the black tea came from the Himalayan foothills in the northeast, the cardamom from the tropical south, the saffron from Kashmir in the north, the sugar from the inland plains, and the whole milk would obviously be local. Interestingly, sugar (the term is derived from Hindi), first refined in India, was a big part of its trade with the Gulf for centuries. Similarly, ginger can be traced back to its Tamil root 'inji'.

[antear]

"I'm always miserable so I don't leave mine to brew much" had me dying 😂😂😂

[marlenmusic]

i love the subtle wit and humour in your videos. it works so well because you aren't trying to be over the top funny/gimmicky. i've had a fair few chuckles with you, while drooling over your amazing recipes of course! keep doing you, Middle Eats team! love your work 🙌

[AnkitaNallana]

I tried this without the spices - the idea of using evaporated milk really really elevates the chai!

[robinshields]

Made this several times now, and can confirm it's soooo good!