Irani chai

Name: Irani chai
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 300 ml black tea (brewed), decoction: 10 g (about 4 tsp) strong CTC or Assam tea leaves brewed in 300 ml water; 3 tsp sugar; 400 ml milk, full-fat; 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Vegetarian

Hyderabad's café tea: a strong, slow-brewed tea decoction poured into milk that has been simmered with condensed milk until rich and slightly thick.

Irani chai is an Indian hot drink, ready in about 27 minutes and made with black tea (brewed) and milk. It serves 3 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep: 2 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 27 min
Serves: 3
Level: Easy
Calories: 162

Ingredients

3 cups

300 ml Black tea (brewed) (opens in a new tab), decoction: 10 g (about 4 tsp) strong CTC or Assam tea leaves brewed in 300 ml waterListed as brewed tea for nutrition; the leaves are strained out.
3 tsp (13 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
400 ml Milk (opens in a new tab), full-fatContains milk
3 tbsp (57 g) Sweetened condensed milk (opens in a new tab)Stands in for the khoa (mawa) some cafés add to the milk.Swap: Milk powder (Plus 1 extra tsp sugar.)Contains milk

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Bring 300 ml water, the tea leaves and the sugar (opens in a new tab) to the boil in a small saucepan (opens in a new tab). Lower the heat to the minimum, cover tightly and let the decoction brew very gently for 20 minutes.
- 22 min
- low heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
Cafés seal the kettle with dough and keep it on embers; a tight lid on low heat does the same job.
2
Step 2
Meanwhile bring the milk (opens in a new tab) and condensed milk (opens in a new tab) to the boil in a second pan, then simmer, stirring and scraping the base, until reduced by about a quarter, 15–20 minutes.
- 18 min
- medium-low heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Strain about a third of a cup of the dark decoction into each cup, then top up with the hot, thickened milk (opens in a new tab). Do not stir before serving.
- 2 min
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Hyderabad, Telangana, India · Commonly attributedAssociated with the Irani cafés of Hyderabad, many founded by families of Persian descent; similar cafés exist in Pune and Mumbai.More food from India
Dish: Breakfast · Snack · Hot drinks
Cooking method: Simmered, Boiled
Taste: rich, creamy, sweet, bitter
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday
Cook more with: Black tea (brewed) · Milk · Sugar · Sweetened condensed milk
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering · Reduction

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom milk, sweetened condensed milk

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

162 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 260 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

Protein 14%
Carbohydrate 52%
Fat 34%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	162 kcal	62 kcal
Protein	5.8 g	2.2 g
Carbohydrate	21.4 g	8.2 g
Net carbohydrate	21.4 g	8.2 g
Sugars	21.4 g	8.2 g
Added sugars	—	—
Fibre	0 g	0 g
Fat	6.1 g	2.3 g
Saturated fat	3.6 g	1.4 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	20 mg	8 mg
Sodium	86 mg	33 mg
Salt equivalent	0.2 g	0.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 289 mg
Calcium: 209 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 22 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 77 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 1.8 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.7 µg
Folate (DFE): 14 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

The decoction should be very dark and slightly bitter; the sweet, rich milk balances it.

Common mistakes

Letting the milk catch on the base of the pan; stir often and keep the heat moderate.

Serve with

Serve with Osmania biscuits or bun maska.

Storage

Keep leftover decoction and milk separately in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Reheating

Reheat the milk until steaming and the decoction gently, then combine.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Milk, full-fat400 ml · 412 g
Sweetened condensed milk3 tbsp · 57 g

Used in step 2

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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