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Kashmiri Chai Boba

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**** This is obviously not meant to be authentic! Real noon chai (originating from Kashmir) is typically served warm with just salt. The intention behind this post is to come up with a fun fusion sweet treat while still being appreciative of kashmiri tea which comes from a rich food culture.

One of my favorite things to do in Ramadan with friends is to get bubble tea before or after tarawih. But since we’re on lockdown and most boba places are shutting down early, I thought it would be nice to share a recipe where you can try and make it at home using Kashmiri Chai.

Kashmiri Chai also known as Noon Chai comes from the region of Kashmir – located in the northern part of India and currently under siege (If you don’t know about what’s going on in Kashmir, I highly urge you to take the time to read up on it!). It’s famous for its pink color and is usually served with a bit of salt.

And yes I know, traditionally you’re supposed to drink it warm. But I am always down to play around with new ideas and honestly, this chai is just as awesome in the iced form too.

Now Kashmiri Chai can take a little practice to make and requires you to follow the directions to a T.

I’ve outlined some tips for you to help ensure you get a lovely blush pink shade:

  • You have to brew the tea for at least 30-40 minutes, if not longer! Keep cooking the tea until you have about ¼ of the water you originally started with.
  • When you add the ice cubes, turn the heat off. This whole process is supposed to shock the tea into turning pink.
  • Stir. Stir. Stir. You can use a ladle or a whisk or both.
  • The tea has to resemble the color of pomegranate juice before adding the milk. If it’s too dark, then you’re tea will end up being a tan color.
  • Use evaporated milk. I’ve had better luck with it than regular milk. Plus It just tastes better in tea and helps give a slightly creamier consistency.
  • The shade of pink is not supposed to be this hot pink strawberry frappuccino color. The pinkest I could get it was a dark pink blush. If you’re able to get it even lighter, awesome! But if you can’t and you still want it super pink, you can always add in some food coloring or roohafza!

After you make the tea, let it cool and store it in the fridge until iftar time (or whenever you want to drink it). Add some ice, tapioca pearls (you can find these online) and top with whipped cream, pistachios, and rose petals.

(****Instead of pictures, I did a whole video tutorial that you can find on my instagram page: fatimasfabulouskitchen or Tik Tok: fatimasfabkitchen)

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Kashmiri Chai with Boba

Ingredients

Kashmiri Chai

  • 5 cups water
  • 2 star anise
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 1 Tbsp kashmiri tea leaves
  • 1/2 tsp himalayan pink salt or regular salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup ice cubes
  • 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 1 Tbsp sugar or to taste

Boba Tea Stuff

  • 3-4 Tbsp Tapioca Pearls
  • Whipped Cream optional
  • chopped pistachios optional
  • rose petals optional

Instructions

Kashmiri Chai

  1. Fill up your pot with water. Add your salt, cardamom, and star anise. Slowly bring to a boil.

  2. Now add your tea leaves. Using a ladle or whisk stir every 5 minutes or so. Brew for at least 30-40 minutes. The tea will start looking orange-brown at first, but eventually the tea should having a dark reddish-purple color (like pomegranate juice) and you should have about 1/4 of the water you started with left in the pot.

  3. Now add in your baking soda. It will bubble up. Stir.

  4. Now turn off the heat and add in the cup of ice cubes. Whisk/stir vigorously for at least 5 minutes. This will ensure you retain that deep pomegranate color.

  5. Turn the heat back on to medium and cook down for another 15 minutes or so, stirring consistently.

  6. Add in your can of evaporated milk. The tea should turn a pink shade. Keep stirring. The tea should become nice and frothy. Cook down for another 15 minutes or so.

  7. Add your sugar. Stir. If you are unsatisfied with the color, you can always add food coloring or roohafza at this step.

  8. Remove tea from stove and let it cool to room temperature. Then place is in the fridge to chill until you are ready to serve.

Turning the Chai into a Boba Drink

  1. Boil tapioca pearls according to package instructions and let soak in water and honey or sugar for a half hour. Make sure not too keep them out for too long because they can harden over time.

  2. When ready to assemble, take a talll glass and add your boba and ice. Then add your chilled kashmiri chai.

  3. Top with whipped cream, pistachios, and rose petals. Your Kashmiri Chai Boba is ready to drink!

Pav Bhaji

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I highly recommend making Pav Bhaji while we’re on quarantine because –

 1. It’s an easy one-pot item

2. It’s a great way to use up extra produce you have lying around in your fridge before your next grocery trip

 3. It’s mind-blowingly delicious

Pav Bhaji is an Indian street food that consists of mashed veggies cooked in copious amounts of butter and served with a fluffy bun or pav.

I used the following vegetables – potato, cauliflower, peas, tomato, bell pepper, serrano chilies, onion, carrots. But the only veggies I’d say are essential are the potatoes, onions, tomatoes, maybe the cauliflower? Everything else you can substitute with whatever you have on hand.

In general I am okay with using store-bought masala mixes for many of my favorite Indian foods but for some reason I have yet to stumble upon a pav bhaji mix that I actually like. In fact, the first time I used a pre-made pav bhaji mix for pav bhaji, it was so strange-tasting that I ended up having to throw the whole thing out. (Yeah it was that bad).

The spices I use for my homemade masala include – dried red chillies, cumin, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, amchur, red chilli powder, turmeric, and kasuri methi. If you notice I didn’t add any cloves or cardamom – I like it to be a little less garam masala-ish because I think when you have those warmer spices, it can become a too overpowering in a vegetarian dish.  

I used brioche buns because they are buttery and rich and wonderful, but again don’t feel like you have to go to the grocery store for that. You can use hamburger buns or make your own little dinner rolls from scratch with ease.

This is a fabulous quarantine week-night quarantine recipe if you’re craving Indian food but are sick of daal and rice.

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Pav Bhaji

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

  • 10-12 small buns

Vegetables (yield 6-7 cups chopped)

  • 1 potato (large)
  • 1 onion (medium-sized)
  • 1/2 bell pepper
  • 1 tomato (may substitute with puree)
  • 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 1/4 cup cauliflower (chopped into florets)
  • 1/4 cup peas
  • 5-6 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1.5-2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 2 cups water

Pav Bhaji Masala

  • 1 dried red chilli
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/4 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp amchur powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp kasuri methi

Garnish

  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 lime (cut into wedges)

Instructions

  1. Make your pav bhaji masala mix. Toast your dried red chilies, fennel, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. Allow to cool and then grind. Add in the powdered spices – amchur, turmeric, chili powder, and kasuri methi. Mix well. Set aside.

  2. Chop all your veggies. In a hot pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter (or to taste).

  3. Dump in all your veggies and sautee for a few minutes. Add in your ginger-garlic paste and allow it to cook through.

  4. Now add in your salt and water. Partially cover with the lid. And turn the flame to medium-low heat. Allow everything to cook down.

  5. Once the potatoes are fork-tender and most of the water has evaporated. Mash veggies with a potato-masher or with a wooden-spoon.

  6. Now add in your pav bhaji masala. Feel free to adjust the consistency by adding more water or cooking down further.

  7. Taste and adjust for seasonings. (Please note that if you are using a boxed masala, you may need to add less salt as most of them contain salt.) Garnish with cilantro, onion, and lime juice. Serve with toasted and buttered buns.

Chicken 65 Bao

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This week I made a Tik Tok account (follow me: fatimasfabkitchen)!  My gen Z cousins – Afsah, Amena, and Ammaar (no they are not triplets), had been raving about how this was THE app to go viral on. At first I was skeptical; the 60-second phone-recorded videos don’t even compare to the high quality youtube videos that take days and weeks to painstakingly conceptualize, film, and edit – but I understand the appeal. Most of us don’t have the time, money, or tech knowledge to make high-end content that will get you thousands of subscribers on a highly saturated platform; also youtube did a great disservice to brilliant creators by demonetizing. (that’s a different discussion for another day).

My Chicken 65 video did receive quite a few views and likes, and I have to say it’s nice to finally get noticed after years of food blogging. Now that I’m on break and quarantine, I have all the time in the world to grow an audience on Tik Tok and drive my parents insane.  

The Chicken 65  (don’t ask me why it’s called that, I have no idea) is a spicy and crunchy deep-fried chicken dish seasoned with several spices and added to tempered curry leaves. Apparently it is Hyderabadi (usually served in weddings), but my mom never really made it growing up so I learned about it by eating out and word-of-mouth.

I thought the Chicken 65 would be perfect served in a fluffy bao bun and a carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and onion slaw with a kimchi mayo (it’s just kimchi juice and mayonnaise). It’s an adorable sandwich that packs a punch –spicy chicken, a bright and vibrant mayo, and a crunchy slaw.

For the bao buns, I am not even going to bother to try coming up with my own recipe because I just use Asian At Home’s Seonkyoung Longest’s recipe (she is AMAZING, please google her if you don’t know who she is). You can also save time and buy it at the store (you can usually find them in the frozen section).

This is the stuff I would serve in my hypothetical pop-up restaurant. This recipe has that Signature Food status. Go ahead and make these (I know most of you have that free time now), you won’t be disappointed!

****UPDATE: I have updated this post to a newer version of this recipe that doesn’t require deep-frying. It is much crispier and requires less oil. Enjoy!

*****A lot of people asked me how to make the Bao buns from scratch. I use Seonkyoung Longest’s amazing recipe. Here is the link – https://seonkyounglongest.com/bao-buns/

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Chicken 65 Bao

Chicken 65 (A Hyderabadi Indian fried chicken dish) served in fluffy bao buns with a tangy kimchi mayo and crunchy carrot, onion, cilantro slaw

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 8-10 Bao Buns (home-made or store-bought) *may substitute with Pilsbury Grands! Biscuit Dough

Chicken 65

  • 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt to taste; use less if using store-bought spice mix

Spices (May substitute with 2 Tbsp of store-bought chicken 65 mix)

  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

Bhaghar (Stir-Fry Ingredients)

  • 4 curry leaves
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 3 serrano chilies to taste, may de-seed
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste (or fresh garlic and ginger chopped)
  • 1 Tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tsp sweet chili sauce (to taste)
  • lime juice to taste
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro (garnish)

Sweet Chili Mayo

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce (or to taste) may also use kimchi to make kimchi mayo

Slaw

  • 1 carrot (shredded)
  • 1 small cucumber (matchsticks)
  • 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro

Instructions

Chicken 65

  1. Wash and cut your chicken thighs into cubes. Add your spices, corn starch, salt, and egg. Mix thoroughly. Do not add the yogurt or ginger-garlic paste at this step. We will be adding it later because we don't want the mixture to be too soggy and not crisp up. Note – if you are using a store-bought chicken 65 spice mix such as shaan, add only a pinch of salt since the spice-mix already contains plenty of salt.

  2. In a wide pan or skillet, add 1/2 an inch of oil or enough to shallow-fry. Once the oil is hot, add a handful of chicken pieces. Make sure not to over-crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown. Remove onto a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

  3. Wipe down the pan. And add another tablespoon of oil. Add in your curry leaves, mustard seeds and serrano chilies (cut into matchsticks). Cook for a few minutes. The mustard seeds should pop. Now add in your ginger-garlic paste, chili sauce, yogurt, soy sauce. Cook for a few minutes. Now add in your chicken. Stir and garnish with fresh lime juice and cilantro.

Bao Assembly and condiments (kimchi mayo and slaw)

  1. Steam your bao buns in a steamer according to package or recipe instructions.

  2. Mix together your kimchi juice and mayo – kimchi mayo. Combine slaw ingredients (onions, carrots, cucumber, cilantro) together. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

  3. Spread a little bit of kimchi mayo inside the bun. Then add your chicken and your slaw. Ready to serve!