A rich, creamy black tea brewed with sweetened condensed milk, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. This beloved Adeni tea is intensely sweet, deeply aromatic, and the social glue of Yemeni daily life.
Ingredients
4 tsp loose black tea leaves
3 cups water
4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
4 cardamom pods, cracked
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1 tsp sugar (optional)
Instructions
1Add water, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon stick to a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2Add tea leaves and boil vigorously for 2-3 minutes until the liquid turns deep reddish-brown.
3Add sweetened condensed milk and stir well. Return to a boil briefly.
4Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute more to let the flavors marry. Taste and add sugar if desired.
5Strain into small tea glasses and serve hot. The tea should be intensely sweet, creamy, and fragrant.
Did You Know?
Shai Adeni owes its unique use of condensed milk to British colonial influence in Aden, where imported tinned milk became a tea staple that Yemenis made their own.