Namkeen Tea (Noon Chai)

Namkeen Tea (Noon Chai)

Ingredients

2 tbsp – Tea leaves

4-5 – Green cardamoms

1 tsp – Salt and Soda bicarbonate,Sugar

2 cups – Milk

1 inch – Cinnamon and 1 – Star anise

8-10 – Pistachios

Method

Heat two cups of water in a deep non-stick pan and bring to a boil.

Open cardamom pods and add seeds to the pan along with tea leaves, salt, soda bicarbonate, cinnamon, star anise and stir. Bring this to a boil.

Add milk, mix well and bring it to a boil. Discard tea leaves and spices.

Furthermore, Add sugar and mix well and let the sugar melt.

In addition, Strain the tea in a tea kettle.

Add finely chopped pistachios. Pour the tea in individual cups, garnish with chopped pistachios and serve hot.

Health benefits of Noon chai

A 2013 study by International Journal of Case Reports and Images, says that people love to drink noon chai “at high temperature particularly during winters”, for warmth. It is known to have digestive properties because of the sodium bicarbonate content. As per Kashmiri folklore, noon chai is refreshing in the heat and resists cold during winters. It is known to prevent heartburn and bloating because of the cardamom and baking soda content. It is also known to reduce stress and anxiety as it contains L-theanine, an amino acid component, according to reports.

Researchers, however, have argued that the salt intake through pink tea or Noon chai could increase the risk of gastric cancer. High consumption of salt (more than four cups a day) is independently associated with high risk of the gastric cancer, so it is advised to limited the its consumption.