The Perfect Istican Chai

Name: The Perfect Istican Chai
Cuisine: Iraqi
Ingredients: To serve, first put sugar in the istican, as the spoon will prevent the delicate glasses from cracking when hot tea is poured into them. Fill about one-third of it with the brewed tea, and add enough hot water to come up to the rim (the proportions of tea and water will vary according to personal preference). This method is very handy when you want to serve a large number of people, which is often the case in most Iraqi families.; However, to make a ritual-free cup of tea for 2 or 3 people, just put 1 level tablespoon of loose tea leaves in the teapot with 2 whole cracked pods of cardamom, and pour on freshly boiled water to fill the teapot three-quarters full. Brew the tea on very low heat or steam it by fitting the teapot over the opening of a kettle of boiling water as described above, for about 8 minutes. However you do it, avoid letting the tea boil, as this will cause it to develop a bitter, acrid taste.; Pour in a little freshly boiled water to wet the leaves and warm the pot. Quickly drain off water, leaving tea in the pot. Then pour hot water into the teapot until it is almost full. Let it brew very slowly on low heat (a diffuser will be very handy here), or remove the lid of the boiling kettle and put the teapot over the opening of the kettle. Alternatively, brew the tea in the traditional tea-maker, samawar, if you happen to have one. However, brewed either way, never let it boil over. The tea is ready to use as soon as the leaves come up to the surface.; Put 3 or 4 tablespoons of loose tea in a medium teapot and a few whole but cracked cardamom pods.

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Delights from the Garden of Eden

By Nawal Nasrallah

Published 2019

About

Method

Put 3 or 4 tablespoons of loose tea in a medium teapot and a few whole but cracked cardamom pods.
Pour in a little freshly boiled water to