Kahwa, Kashmiri Saffron Tea
An infusion of green tea perfumed with saffron, cardamom, and cinnamon, lightly sweetened and garnished with crushed almonds. Comforting and aromatic, it is served piping hot in small cups.
An infusion of green tea perfumed with saffron, cardamom, and cinnamon, lightly sweetened and garnished with crushed almonds. Comforting and aromatic, it is served piping hot in small cups.
We are Kashmiris, never forget that — and a Kashmiri does not welcome a guest without a steaming cup of kahwa. Bring water to a simmer with a crushed cardamom pod, a sliver of cinnamon, then add the green tea and, above all, a few saffron threads that give that amber color. Grate a little almond into it, sweeten barely. My father Jawaharlal used to say that the Kashmir valley always felt distant; this cup, I believe, brought it back to him for a moment.
- •Green tea — a pinch (base)
- •Kashmiri saffron — a few threads (signature, color)
- •Green cardamom — 1 pod (flavor)
- •Cinnamon — a small piece (warm flavor)
- •Almonds — a few (garnish)
- •Sugar or honey — a little (sweetness)
Kahwa, Kashmiri Saffron Tea
An infusion of green tea perfumed with saffron, cardamom, and cinnamon, lightly sweetened and garnished with crushed almonds. Comforting and aromatic, it is served piping hot in small cups.
Why this dish? The Nehru family was a lineage of Kashmiri Pandits, and kahwa — green tea with saffron, cardamom, and almonds — is THE emblematic drink of that culture, served to welcome guests. It is the direct link between Indira and her family's ancestral memory, beyond her life as Prime Minister in Delhi.
We are Kashmiris, never forget that — and a Kashmiri does not welcome a guest without a steaming cup of kahwa. Bring water to a simmer with a crushed cardamom pod, a sliver of cinnamon, then add the green tea and, above all, a few saffron threads that give that amber color. Grate a little almond into it, sweeten barely. My father Jawaharlal used to say that the Kashmir valley always felt distant; this cup, I believe, brought it back to him for a moment.
Ingredients (period version)
- Green tea — a pinch (base)
- Kashmiri saffron — a few threads (signature, color)
- Green cardamom — 1 pod (flavor)
- Cinnamon — a small piece (warm flavor)
- Almonds — a few (garnish)
- Sugar or honey — a little (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Green tea leaves — 1 tsp (base)
- Saffron — 5-6 threads (signature, color)
- Green cardamom — 2 pods, crushed (flavor)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 small piece (warm flavor)
- Slivered almonds — 1 tbsp (garnish)
- Sugar or honey — to taste (sweetness)
- Water — 500 ml (infusion)
Method
- Bring water to a simmer with the crushed cardamom and cinnamon; let infuse 3-4 minutes.
- Add the green tea and saffron, remove from heat, and let steep 2 minutes (do not boil, to avoid bitterness).
- Sweeten lightly to taste.
- Strain into small cups.
- Garnish with slivered almonds and serve very hot.
How it was made : Kahwa was traditionally prepared in a copper samovar, a vessel inherited from Central Asian exchanges, where coals in the center kept the infusion hot for hours. A drink of hospitality and comfort in the cold winters of the valley, it accompanied both daily visits and grand receptions.
The contemporary twist : Serve the kahwa in clear glasses to reveal its beautiful golden hue, with a thin cinnamon stick as a stirrer — a 'golden tea' that rivals trendy café beverages.
Indira Gandhi · Charactorium
