Thandi Chai

Iced Tea

VegetarianOrigin Anglo-IndianPrep 15 minutes

A crisp, cooling iced tea flavoured with fresh mint and sharpened with citrus. It makes a light, invigorating drink when poured cold over ice.

Ingredients

Tea leaf · Chai Patti

18 g3 tablespoons

other

Mint · Pudina

to taste

herb

Lemon juice · Nimbu Ka Ras

46 g3 tablespoons

souring agent

Granulated sugar · Cheeni

38 g3 tablespoons

sweetener

Lemon slice · Nimbuto garnish

30 g6 slices

fruit

Method

Place 1500 g water into a large saucepan along with 3 tablespoon tea and mint to taste, then bring to a boil.
Boil steadily for 5 minutes until deep in colour, then filter the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof jug.
Stir 45.9 g lemon juice and 37.8 g granulated sugar into the warm tea until completely dissolved.
Leave the tea to cool slightly, then refrigerate until chilled thoroughly.
Pour into glasses filled with ice cubes and top each with a lemon slice to garnish.

Don't have something?

Tea leaf

Tea bag
Use 1 bag for about 2 g tea leaf; open the bag if the recipe needs loose leaf.
Green tea leaves
Use the same weight; lighter and less tannic, so steep a little longer and taste.

Mint

Dried mint
Use about 30% of the weight of fresh mint. Rub between your palms to crush before stirring in; the flavour will be more intensely herbal and less bright.
Coriander leaf
Use equal weight, finely chopped. Adds fresh citrusy green notes, but lacks the cooling menthol lift.

Lemon juice

Lime juice
Use equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.
Dried mango powder
Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.
White vinegar
Use 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Granulated sugar

Jaggery
Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Lemon slice

Lime
Use the same number of slices; sharper and more aromatic as a garnish.
Lemon wedge
Use the same number of wedges; same flavour, just a different shape.
Lemon
Slice the same weight; use as a garnish or squeeze over at the table.

Similar dishes

Nimbuwali Chai

Lemon Tea

Nimbuwali Chai is less sweet and tastes more directly of lime without the cooling herbal note of mint.

Same: Nimbuwali Chai also balances black tea with citrus juice and granulated sugar.
Different: It uses lime juice instead of lemon juice, omits the fresh mint, contains less sugar, and is served hot rather than poured over ice.

Annanas ka Sherbet

Pineapple Sherbet

Annanas ka Sherbet is sweeter, fruitier, and fizzy, whereas this dish is lighter and more herbal.

Same: Both are sweetened cold drinks that rely on lemon juice for their sour base and granulated sugar for sweetness.
Different: Annanas ka Sherbet includes pineapple, ginger ale, and soda water with far more lemon juice, but it lacks the brewed tea and fresh mint of this dish.

Nimboo ka Sherbet

Lemon Sherbet

Nimboo ka Sherbet is much sweeter and purely citrus-driven, lacking the herbal mint flavor and tea tannins of this dish.

Same: Nimboo ka Sherbet is also a refreshing cold lemon beverage sweetened with granulated sugar.
Different: Nimboo ka Sherbet is made by sun-maturing a high-sugar lemon cordial to dilute with water, whereas this dish is mixed fresh with mint and brewed tea.

Elaichi ki Chai

Cardamom Tea

It tastes warm, creamy, sweet and cardamom-spiced, while this dish tastes cold, minty, citrus-sharp and light.

Same: Elaichi ki Chai shares tea leaf and granulated sugar with this dish, and both use 18 g tea leaf.
Different: It adds 259 g milk and 1.1 g green cardamom pods and uses 150 g sugar, while this dish uses 45.9 g lemon juice, mint and 30 g lemon slices and is served cold over ice.