☕ Karak chai
Karak chai is strong black tea boiled with cardamom, sugar and evaporated milk until it turns deep caramel brown. It is thick, sweet and fragrant, much stronger than ordinary milk tea. In the Gulf it is sold in small paper cups from roadside cafeterias and drunk at any time of day, often alongside a quick snack.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 ml water
- 2 tbsp loose black tea
- 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 150 ml evaporated milk
Method
- Bring the water to the boil with the crushed cardamom.
- Add the tea and sugar and boil hard for 3–4 minutes until very dark.
- Pour in the evaporated milk and bring back to the boil, letting it rise and fall two or three times.
- Strain into small cups and serve hot.
How to make it lighter
- Each teaspoon of sugar adds about 16 kcal — cut the sugar by half and let the cardamom carry the flavour.
- Use light evaporated milk or replace part of it with water to cut fat.
- Order the small cafeteria cup rather than a large one: a little goes a long way with this strong tea.
History
Karak chai developed from the spiced milk teas brought to the Gulf by South Asian workers and traders, and the word karak is commonly said to mean 'strong'. Today it is one of the most popular everyday drinks in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →