Shaah Cadays (Somali Spiced Milk Tea)
A comforting and aromatic spiced milk tea, deeply ingrained in Somali culture. It's brewed with black tea and a blend of warming spices, then enriched with milk and sweetened to taste.
🧂 Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- 4 tsp Black tea bags or loose leaf
- 2 cups Milk
- 0.25 cup Sugar(or to taste)
- 5 Cardamom pods(lightly crushed)
- 1 Cinnamon stick(2-inch piece)
- 3 Cloves
- 1 inch Fresh ginger(peeled and grated or thinly sliced)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, crushed cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, and grated ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- 2
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let the spices simmer for 5-10 minutes to infuse the water.
- 3
Add the black tea and sugar to the saucepan. Stir well and let it steep for another 2-3 minutes.
- 4
Pour in the milk and bring the mixture back to a gentle boil. Watch carefully to prevent it from boiling over.
- 5
Once it reaches a boil, immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. Let it sit for a minute.
- 6
Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve into cups. Serve hot.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Adjust the amount of sugar to your personal preference.
- ✓For a stronger ginger flavor, use more fresh ginger.
- ✓You can add a pinch of black pepper for an extra kick.
🔄 Variations
- For 'Shaah Rinji' (black tea without milk), simply omit the milk.
- Experiment with other spices like star anise or nutmeg.