Lucknow Sulaimani Chai Black Cardamom Tea Iftar

Method

1. 1

   Boil water with spices: Pour 4 cups water into a pot. Add crushed green cardamom, crushed peppercorns, cloves and dried ginger.

2. 2

   Bring to a boil: Bring to a full boil.

3. 3

   Add tea leaves: Add 2 tsp tea leaves to the boiling spiced water.

4. 4

   Boil 2 minutes: Boil on medium heat for 2 minutes — slightly longer than regular tea for a stronger brew. The Sulaimani should be a deep amber colour.

5. 5

   Add mint leaves: Add fresh mint leaves if using. Turn off the heat. Steep 1 minute.

6. 6

   Strain: Strain through a fine strainer into a serving teapot or directly into cups.

7. 7

   Add lemon to each cup: Add a squeeze of lemon juice into each individual cup. Lemon is added to the cup, not the pot, so each person adjusts the sourness.

8. 8

   Add minimal sugar: Add a very small amount of sugar if desired — the Sulaimani is ideally unsweetened or barely sweet.

9. 9

   Serve without milk: Sulaimani is a black tea without milk — the clarity of the tea is the presentation.

10. 10

    Serve immediately: Drink while hot — Sulaimani cools rapidly without the insulating effect of milk.

11. 11

    Note: Sulaimani Chai (named for the Sulaiman mountains of Central Asia where black tea without milk is traditional) is the post-Iftar digestive drink of the Muslim communities of Lucknow and the broader Awadhi cultural belt. After breaking the Ramadan fast with dates and water (at Iftar), the meal is consumed, and the Sulaimani chai is drunk at the end to aid digestion. It is also drunk after the heavy Awadhi meat meals that Lucknow is known for. The Kerala Muslim community also has a Sulaimani chai tradition, showing how the name traveled with Muslim trade routes.