~134 cal · 4g protein · 19g carbs · 5g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Cup of strong tan cardamom milk tea
🇦🇪 Dubai
Karak is the everyday obsession of the Emirates: strong black tea boiled hard with evaporated milk, sugar, cardamom, and often a thread of saffron until deep tan and intense. Sold for a dirham or two at roadside cafeterias and drive-throughs, it fuels the whole country from dawn to late-night desert drives.
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Make it yours
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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3 tbsp strong black tea
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2.5 cups water
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1 cup evaporated milk
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1/4 cup sugar
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4 pods cardamom
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a pinch saffron
Instructions
1
Boil the water with the tea, cracked cardamom, and saffron for 3–4 minutes until very dark.
2
Pour in the evaporated milk and sugar and bring back to a rolling boil, watching it closely.
3
Let it boil up and settle two or three times to build strength and body.
4
Strain into small cups and serve piping hot.
Emirati cafeteria tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Dubai. Where breakfast can be saffron vermicelli with egg.
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United Arab Emirates. Pearl-diving coast turned crossroads of the Gulf table.
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Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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