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Pakistani · Afghan

Peshawari kahwa

Vegetarian

قهوه · Qahwa

Light green tea brewed with crushed green cardamom and a little sugar, served in small cups after meals across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan.

Peshawari kahwa is a Pakistani hot drink, ready in about 10 minutes and made with green tea leaves and cardamom. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Kahwah
Representative photo. Antara Sarkar / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
2 min
Cook
8 min
Total
10 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
25

Ingredients

4 small cups

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring the water to the boil with the crushed cardamom pods (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 3 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Remove the pan from the stove, add the tea leaves and sugar (opens in a new tab) and steep for 2 minutes until pale gold — no longer, or it turns bitter.

    • 2 min

  3. Step 3

    Strain into small cups and add a slice of lemon (opens in a new tab) or a few slivered almonds (opens in a new tab) if you like.

    Food safety: Serve hot but take care with boiling liquids.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Pashtun regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan · Commonly attributedAlso popular in Pakistan, Afghanistan
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Hot drinks
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, sweet, fresh
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Green tea leaves · Cardamom · Sugar
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom almonds

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

25 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 194 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 0%
  • Carbohydrate 100%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy25 kcal13 kcal
Protein0 g0 g
Carbohydrate6.5 g3.3 g
Net carbohydrate6.4 g3.3 g
Sugars6.3 g3.2 g
Added sugars6.3 g3.2 g
Fibre0.1 g0 g
Fat0 g0 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium4 mg2 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
3 mg
Calcium
20 mg
Iron
0 mg
Magnesium
4 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
0 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.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon, almonds.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): green tea leaves.
  • “—” 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

  • A pinch of saffron makes the Kashmiri-style kahwa.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the tea leaves — green tea turns harsh and bitter; steep them off the heat.

Serve with

  • Serve after a heavy meal of kebabs or pulao.

Storage

  • Best freshly brewed.

Variations

  • Kashmiri kahwa (India): Brewed with saffron, cinnamon and almonds.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

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.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

  • Cardamom, lightly crushed6 piece · 1.2 g
Used in step 1

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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