Pudina Chai, as it is known in India, is a light, aromatic, and refreshing drink. My first taste of Mint Tea was at a friend’s house. Her mother made the Pudina Chai, and it was delicious.
Fresh mint leaves lend an enticing herbal aroma and flavour to this mint tea recipe. Because this tea is made with a herb rather than tea leaves, it is classified as a herbal tea or tisane and contains no caffeine. You can drink a cup of mint tea before going to bed without worrying about it keeping you awake.
Prep Time: 1 min
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 11 mins
INGREDIENTS
• 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves (Pudina patta)
• 2 teaspoons tea leaves (or 2 tea bags)
• 2.5 cups water
• Milk as needed
• Sugar to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
• Water should be used to wash the mint leaves. Pour water into a teapot or tea maker. Mix in the mint leaves.
• Boil the water for 3-4 minutes or until the flavours and aroma of the mint begins to infuse. The water will begin to turn green. Allow the amount of green colour in the water to increase.
• Pour in the tea leaves. Pour in the sugar. Now add the milk and bring the tea to a boil. Your pudina chai is now ready to serve.
• Serve the mint tea with some light tea biscuits.
• You could also drink this mint tea after lunch or dinner to help with digestion.
• If you’re using tea bags, turn off the heat. Dip the tea bags for 2-3 minutes in hot water. Pour in the sugar and hot milk. Serve with a good stir.
• Whether or not to add milk is entirely up to you. When milk is added, it becomes Indian chai. I haven’t specified the amount of milk because some people prefer less milk and others prefer more milk in their tea. The same is true for sugar, as people’s preferences for more or less sugar vary.
• I’ve had mint tea both with and without milk, and I like them both.
• It is also possible to use honey, jaggery, or any other type of sweetener. In India, however, sugar is commonly used for indian chai.
• If you use milk, you could also use honey. I’m not sure how jaggery tastes with milk.
• If you don’t have milk, you could substitute jaggery. I made tea with jaggery and, once again, I must say that I preferred the jaggery-sweetened tea without milk.
TIPS
• As long as the mint is fresh, you can experiment with it in this recipe. Although peppermint and spearmint are traditional choices, other varieties will work just as well. You can even try and use a combination of them.
• While dried mint can be used to make tea, it lacks the flavour of fresh herbs. Serve warm or cold, sweetened or unsweetened, with or without lemon. It’s simple to adjust to your preferences and personalise for each drinker.
Last Updated on August 13, 2021
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