KASHMIRI CHAI!!

Ingredients:

• Water – 5 cup divided
• Kashmiri tea – 1 tablespoon
• Baking soda – 1/4 teaspoon
• Green cardamon – 3
• salt – as you like
• sugar – as taste
• star anise – petals of Baadian Khataaii

Method:

• Fill a midsize saucepan with a quart of water.
• Add 1 tablespoon of tea leaves to it.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in water along with the tea leaves.
• Let it boil, the tea leaves will expand and appear as small leaves lying flat on the surface of water.
• Take the pan off the stove once the level is 3/4 of the whole.
• Add cold water to it. 1/4 to make the 3/4 + 1/4 = 1.
• Before adding the cold tap water, you should see a burgundy/dark pinkish film on the surface. That tells you have boiled it to the right level and the colour will be great.
• Take a ladle, fill it with the boiled tea and blend it by pouring repeatedly. It is not like you are whipping an egg or batter. You take tea in the ladle and raise the level of the ladle about 8-10 inches and pour the tea back to the pan. Doing it at least ten to twenty times will make a change in the colour of tea.
• Now just let it sit a while.
• Take a strainer and strain the tea into a bottle or a jar that you can keep in your fridge. Throw away the strained tea leaves. THIS IS THE BASE.
• To prepare the tea for two people, take two cups of the strained tea.
• Add milk to it till you get the bright pink colour.
• Add one crushed green cardamom, one petal of Baadian Khataaii (star anise, if available) and salt (1/4 tablespoon). Let it boil for three to four times and then serve in a tea pot or put it in your tea cup directly and garnish with crushed almonds and pistachio.