Sulaimani chai

Name: Sulaimani chai
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 9 min
Ingredients: 500 ml water; 4 g black tea leaves; 2 cardamom, lightly crushed; 2 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick, about 3 cm; 3 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh; 6 leaves mint, rinsed (optional)

Vegetarian

A clear, golden spiced black tea from Kerala's Malabar coast, brewed light with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and finished with lemon juice and a little sugar.

Sulaimani chai is an Indian hot drink, ready in about 9 minutes and made with black tea leaves and lemon juice. It serves 3 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A vibrant flat lay of lemon tea with yellow flowers and citrus fruits on white. — Photo: Lidya Kohen / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 2 min
Cook: 7 min
Total: 9 min
Serves: 3
Level: Beginner
Calories: 22

Ingredients

3 cups

500 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
4 g Black tea leaves (opens in a new tab)
2 (0.5 g) Cardamom (opens in a new tab), lightly crushed
2 (0 g) Cloves (opens in a new tab)
1 (3 g) Cinnamon stick (opens in a new tab), about 3 cm
3 tsp (13 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)Swap: Honey (Stir in after brewing.)
2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon juice (opens in a new tab), fresh
6 leaves (0.5 g) Mint (opens in a new tab), rinsed (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Boil the water with the cardamom (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon for 3 minutes, then stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab) until dissolved.
- 4 min
- medium-high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Take the pan off the heat, add the tea leaves and steep for 2 minutes only, until the tea is clear and amber rather than dark.
- 2 min
3
Step 3
Strain into glasses, stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and add a couple of mint (opens in a new tab) leaves if you like. Serve hot.
- 1 min
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Malabar (northern Kerala), Kerala, India · Commonly attributedOften served after biryani in Kozhikode and around Malabar; the name is commonly linked to Arab trade on the coast.More food from India
Dish: Snack · Dinner · Hot drinks
Cooking method: Boiled
Taste: aromatic / warmly spiced, citrusy, sweet, refreshing
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Black tea leaves · Lemon juice · Cardamom · Cloves · Cinnamon stick · Sugar
Techniques: Boiling

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

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

22 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 182 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

Protein 2%
Carbohydrate 95%
Fat 4%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	22 kcal	12 kcal
Protein	0.1 g	0.1 g
Carbohydrate	5.8 g	3.2 g
Net carbohydrate	5.2 g	2.9 g
Sugars	4.5 g	2.4 g
Added sugars	4.2 g	2.3 g
Fibre	0.6 g	0.3 g
Fat	0.1 g	0 g
Saturated fat	0 g	0 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	4 mg	2 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 17 mg
Calcium: 28 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 4 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 2 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: mint.
Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): black 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

Use a light, fragrant tea such as a Nilgiri or Darjeeling-style leaf; strong CTC dust turns it muddy.

Common mistakes

Boiling the leaves or adding lemon while it simmers, which makes it bitter and cloudy.

Serve with

Serve after a Malabar or Thalassery biryani.

Storage

Make fresh; it turns bitter and cloudy if it stands.

Variations

Ginger sulaimani: Add a few slices of fresh ginger with the spices.

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

Lemon juice, fresh2 tbsp · 31 g

Used in step 3

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.

Masala chai
Indian · 11 min · 118 kcal · Vegetarian
Chettinad chicken curry
South Indian · 1 h 5 min · 435 kcal
Andhra chicken curry
South Indian · 1 h · 351 kcal
Lemon rice
South Indian · 30 min · 401 kcal · Vegan