Shaah Cadays (Somali Spiced Tea With Milk)

Rich, fragrant, and comfortingly sweet, Shaah Cadays is Somali spiced tea at its finest. A blend of warming spices swirled with creamy milk, each sip feels like a gentle hug perfect for starting the day, sharing with friends, or winding down with a little moment of calm.

Recipe information

• Yield4 servings

Ingredients

1 (1-inch) piece ginger

2 (2-inch) pieces cinnamon stick

5 green cardamom pods

5 whole cloves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 cups cold water

3 tablespoons loose black tea (or 4 black tea bags)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more as needed

2 cups whole milk

Preparation

1. Crush the ginger with the bottom of a heavy pot or the blunt edge of a knife and set aside. Place the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns in a mortar and crush with a pestle until coarsely ground (or crush on a countertop or on a cutting board with the bottom of a heavy pot).
2. Transfer the spices to a medium saucepan set over medium heat and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the ginger, water, tea, and sugar and increase the heat to high. Once bubbles form around the edge, immediately reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the milk and let it cook for just 1 minute to warm the milk, then turn off the heat.
5. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a teapot, pitcher, or straight into tea mugs.