Irani Chai Recipe (Hyderabadi Dum Chai)
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Irani chai (Irani tea, Hyderabadi dum chai) is a Persian-influenced tea extremely popular in Hyderabad and Mumbai. Use my simple recipe to make this creamy tea at home.
If you enjoy traditional Indian teas, you may also like mint chai, masala chai, lemongrass chai, Kashmiri tea (kahwa), and adrak wali chai.
Quick Look: Irani Chai
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: Approx. 225 per serving
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, gluten-free
Skill Level: Easy
Tools Needed: Two saucepans, tight-fitting lid, tea strainer.
Table of Contents
A few years ago, we went to Hyderabad to taste their authentic mutton biryani. My husband had read about a hundred-year-old biryani joint and would not stop talking about it until we booked the tickets. But it was the tea that stayed with me longer than the biryani did.
Every other corner in old Hyderabad has an Irani café. Marble tables, cane chairs, ceiling fans that have probably been spinning since the Nizam’s time, and a boy who brings out tea in small glasses without you even asking twice. That tea is Irani chai; thick, milky, faintly spiced, and impossible to sip quickly.
This is my home version of it. No café, no marble table, but the same creamy cup in about 35 minutes.
What Is Irani Chai?
Irani chai is a sweet, milky Indian tea that originated with Persian (Irani) immigrants who settled in Hyderabad and Mumbai in the 19th century. It’s also called Hyderabadi dum chai because the tea is slow-simmered (“dum”) with whole spices, then combined with a rich, reduced milk mixture.
What makes it different from your regular cup of chai:
- It’s brewed low and slow, not boiled hard and fast
- The milk is reduced separately until thick and slightly caramel-toned
- Khoya (reduced milk solids) is added for that signature creaminess
- It’s stronger and sweeter than the average home-style chai
You’ll find it served in small glasses at Irani cafés, always alongside something to nibble, usually Osmania biscuits or a warm bun maska.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Genuinely tastes like the café version: I tested this against three different Hyderabad cafés’ chai from memory, and real khoya is what closes the gap
Uses actual khoya, the way Irani cafés make it, not a shortcut version
One pot for the tea, one pan for the milk: Nothing fancy, no special equipment
Scales up easily if you’re making it for guests
Ingredients
For The Tea Decoction
- Assam tea (black tea leaves, chai patti) – Use strong loose-leaf black tea, such as Assam tea. Delicate teas like Darjeeling get lost under the milk and sugar. You can use a tea bag or powder; that’s up to you. You can add more tea leaves than the recipe calls for if you like a stronger tea.
- Spices – Just 2 spices are traditionally used to make this tea: green cardamom (hari elaichi) and a cinnamon stick (dalchini). To make Irani chai spicier and stronger, you can add more spices, such as star anise (chakri phool), black cardamom (badi elaichi), cloves (laung), and black peppercorns (kali mirch). You can also add a teaspoon of my homemade chai ka masala for a spicier tea.
- Others – You will also need water and granulated white sugar. Adjust the sugar as per your taste.
For The Milk Mixture
- Milk – Use whole milk (full-fat) for the best results.
- Khoya (Mawa or Khava) – It’s reduced milk solids, sold fresh or frozen at most Indian grocery stores. Don’t skip it if you can help it. This is the ingredient that sets real Irani chai apart from regular milky tea.
If khoya is unavailable, mix 2 tablespoons of milk powder with 1 tablespoon milk and whisk until smooth. Use it in place of khoya. Some people replace khoya with heavy cream, malai (fresh cream), or condensed milk in their Hyderabadi Irani chai recipe. It is not traditional, and the taste will also be slightly different, but you can try it. Skip adding extra sugar if using condensed milk, as it is already very sweet.
How To Make Irani Chai
Make The Tea Decoction
Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a saucepan.
- 2 cups of water
- 2 teaspoons black tea leaves (or 2 tea bags)
- 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- 2 green cardamoms (lightly crushed)
- 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick (lightly crushed)
Step 2: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. This is the dum technique of cooking the tea.
If the lid does not fit tightly over the saucepan, you can seal it with a bit of whole-wheat flour dough to prevent steam from escaping. You can also cover the pan with aluminum foil.
Step 3: Cook the tea on low heat for 30 minutes.
Why simmer this long? A quick, hard boil pulls out bitterness fast. A slow simmer under a lid extracts color and flavor gradually, which is why café-style Irani chai tastes strong without tasting harsh.
Make The Creamy Milk
Step 4: While the tea is cooking on the stove, make the milk mixture. Add 2 cups of whole milk (full-fat) to a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 5: Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the milk is reduced to half its volume. Stir frequently to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of crumbled khoya and mix well.
Step 6: Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring until well combined with the milk.
Assemble The Irani Chai
Step 7: Strain the brewed tea through a tea strainer, then pour ¼ cup of the decoction into a serving cup.
Step 8: Top with ¾ cup of the milk mixture and serve immediately.
Irani Chai vs Masala Chai vs Regular Chai
| Irani Chai | Masala Chai | |
| Milk | Reduced separately, very creamy | Boiled together with tea |
| Spices | Minimal (cardamom, cinnamon) | Heavier spice blend |
| Sweetness | Quite sweet | Moderate |
| Texture | Thick, like a warm custard | Light to medium |
Variations
Vegan Irani chai: Use oat milk for both the base and the “reduction,” and swap khoya for a spoon of cashew paste for body.
Quick Irani chai (15-minute version): Shorten the dum step to 8-10 minutes instead of 30, and reduce the milk on slightly higher heat while whisking often. You’ll still get the khoya richness, just with a lighter tea infusion.
Iced Irani chai: Make it as usual, cool completely, then pour over ice. Reduce the sugar slightly since cold drinks taste sweeter.
Saffron Irani chai: A few strands of saffron added to the milk while it reduces gives a festive, fragrant twist. It is great for winter gatherings.
Irani Chai FAQs
I get my khoya from my local Indian grocery store. After making this tea, I divide the khoya into approximately 50 g portions and store them in ziplock bags in the freezer. This way, I can pull out one or more bags as needed in the future.
Strong, dusty CTC black tea, the kind commonly sold as “Indian chai tea” or “Assam CTC” in stores. Delicate leaf teas get overwhelmed by the milk and sugar.
Yes, just multiply the ingredients proportionally. Keep the tea and milk reduction in separate pans until just before serving, and reheat gently rather than letting it sit simmering for a long time, which can make it taste stewed.
Serving Suggestions
This classic Iranian-style tea is traditionally served with Osmania biscuits, a Hyderabadi specialty that is slightly salty, slightly sweet, and made for dunking.
This hot beverage can also be served with bun maska, nankhatai, namak para, or any other snack for your evening tea.
Storage Suggestions
Irani chai is best fresh, but if you’ve made extra, you can refrigerate the strained tea in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often so the milk doesn’t split. Avoid microwaving if you can, as it may cause the reduced milk to separate.
I do not recommend freezing it. The milk mixture breaks down and turns grainy once thawed.
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Irani Chai Recipe (Hyderabadi Dum Tea)
Ingredients
For The Tea Decoction
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons Assam black tea leaves (chai patti) (or 2 tea bags)
- 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar (adjust as per your taste)
- 2 green cardamoms (hari elaichi) (lightly crushed)
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini) (lightly crushed)
For The Creamy Milk
- 2 cups whole milk (full-fat milk)
- 2 tablespoons khoya (crumbled)
Instructions
Make The Tea Decoction
- Add water, tea leaves, sugar, green cardamoms, and cinnamon stick into a saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the tea on low heat for 30 minutes.
Make The Creamy Milk
- While the tea is cooking on dum, make the milk mixture. Add milk to a saucepan and bring it to a boil on medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the milk is reduced to half. Stir frequently to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pan.
- Add khoya and cook for 3-4 minutes until it is mixed well in the milk.
Assemble The Chai
- Strain the tea using a tea strainer and pour ¼ cup of decoction in a serving cup.
- Top with ¾ cup of the milk mixture and serve immediately.
