How to Make Doodh Patti Chai

Doodh Patti wali Chai, the chai served by every Pakistani dhaba, most often in slightly chipped cups, is a rich, comforting, mellow beverage. Read on to see how to brew your perfect cup with both teabags and loose leaf tea!

The people who have made my popular Kashmiri Chai and Phitti Hui Coffee know that when it comes to desi beverages I am not messing around. I test, retest, retest some more and find friends who are willing to as well before posting or making any edits. Why? Because I know these drinks are more than the caffeine that wakes you up.

While a black coffee is the drink that wakes me up chai is good for my soul. This recipe is one I have shared with many in my Instagram family who have tested it and loved it.

Before I proceed, repeat after me: Doodh Patti, literally translated as, Milk and (Tea) Leaves, starts with Milk. It MUST start with milk. If the tea you are looking to recreate starts with tea leaves and water then I am going to have it here for your next week!

Doodh Patti vs Masala Chai & Chai Karak

I hadn't heard of Masala Chai growing up in Karachi. I knew of three kinds of tea - the kind where you steep a teabag and add some milk, the stovetop cook version, and doodh patti.

Doodth patti's flavour profile is rich, mellow, almost sweet even when it isn't sweetened.

It does not have the assertiveness of the Masala Chais that I discovered when I got to Canada or the sweet strength of the Chai Karak that Middle Eastern restaurants often serve. Masala Chais are often flavoured with cloves, ginger, and other spices. Chai Karak seems to be sweeter and more intensely spiced.

I enjoy them all, but Doodh Patti and memories of drinking it from chipped mugs in over stuffed cars, are my favourite.

Teabag or Tea leaves: What's better?

Purists will tell you it's tea leaves. I will tell you do what's convenient. I do find that teabags are often milder in flavour so I like to use 3 teabags for 2 cups of cup. For loose leaf tea 1.5 tbsp of tea leaves gives rich chai flavour, but for stronger tea you can increase it to 2 tbsp.

Ingredients in Doodh Patti

The ingredients are straightforward

• Milk - I use whole
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Tea Leaves or Tea Bag
• Sugar for sweetening

The addition of cinnamon is not typical. However, I find that the tiniest piece plays up this teas mellow richness and natural sweetness.

To Measure or Not to Measure: getting this Pakistani Chai just right

As said earlier this recipe is one that has been tested and retested by many of you with teabags and tea leaves alike. The one thing that stood out was everyone's reluctance to go searching for measuring cups and spoons to make a cup of chai.

That's why we are keeping it simple and intuitive here - most people drink their tea in mugs. They are trying to make a mug of tea, not a dainty teacup sized serving. I use my mug of the day to measure out milk, filling it one time and then another third of the way. The extra third is to allow extra liquid to cook down to get that creamy texture.

Similarly if you are using looseleaf tea you can take a spoonful. When I measure it out that's approximately half a tbsp. For a strong cup you can ¾ tbsp but at 1 tbsp it lost all of it's sweet charm.

Steps to Making Doodh Patti

1.) Bring your milk, cardamom, and cinnamon to a boil - now in North America, even our full fat milk doesn't have the richness of Pakistani milk so I prefer to only use milk, but in Pakistan they will sometimes use both.

2.) Aerate your milk with a ladle a few times to create a beautiful generous froth.

3.) Add your teabag (1-2) or tea leaves (¾ tbsp) and bring the mixture back to a boil. Place a wooden spoon horizontally across the top of your pot to prevent the milk from boiling over.

4.) Simmer for 4-5 minutes, your milk should have reduced by ⅓ by now.

5.) Strain, sweeten, and serve (or serve, then sweeten).

Let's Skip to the Hard Part: Cleaning the Pot

If you've ever simmered milk for anything you know that the cooked on milk and tea leaves is the worst to clean. Here's how I tackle it when a quick scrub won't do:

1.) Add some baking soda and a squeeze of dish soap in the pot, fill halfway with water.

2.) Bring it to a boil, turn it down to a simmer, scraping the gunk at the bottom off with a wooden spoon.

3.) Take the pot off the stove, let it cool and all it will take now is a quick scrub.

What to Serve at Tea Time?

My friends, I got you. Hop on over to my collection of tea time cake recipes and appetizers/snacks to serve with your fabulous chai.

Hope you make this doodh patti chai and love it! Would love to hear what you think - comment below and rate the recipe by clicking on the number of stars in the number recipe card!