Picked and fabricated in the area of Kobuleti (Adjara). Made of leaves with stalks and fragments of tea bushes shoots. The weight is 1.8 kg of one piece.
The Kalmyk tea, despite it's national identity, is the favourite among Caucasian people and inhabitants of southern regions of Russia. This is a nomads tea. Can be called Tibetan, Mongolian or Kyrgyz, or even Domb or Djombo. Cook it on milk laced with salt, spices, yak butter or mutton fat. The classic method involves long cooking of all ingredients on a slow fire until the liquid volume would be reduced twice. The result is a dense brew with earthy taste and high nutritional value.
The simplified method:
Ingredients:
- 50 g. of dry tea
- 500 ml. of water + 500 ml. of milk 3% fat
- 1 tsp. of salt + 2-3 bay leaves + 6-8 black pepper peas + 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg
- 10-15 g. of butter
- Grind tea, add water, bring it to the boil and cook on a slow fire for ten minutes.
- Pour milk, bring it to the boil.
- Add salt and spices.
- Boil for 5-7 minutes on a slow fire.
- Infuse it under the closed cover.
- Stir the brew, scooping and pouring it back with the ladle (the brew will be saturated with oxygen and become soft and airy).
- Strain it.
Serve in large bowls with a slice of butter. Kalmyk tea is usually served with cheese / salty cheese and baursaks (donuts of yeast or unleavened dough). Take Djombo in the morning for breakfast or late in the evening for dinner.
Related recipes:
MONGOLIAN
Take two or three tablespoons of crushed brick of tea, fill it with one liter of cold water and boil on fire.
When water boils, add one or two glasses of milk, salt and spices, bring to the boil again and simmer on a slow fire.
Melt the sheep fat and fry 2 tablespoons of flour on it, add the mixture to boiling tea. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes.
TATAR
Fill crushed tea with cold water, bring it to the boil, add milk, salt and spices and cook for 5 minutes on a slow fire. Put butter, cover and let it infuse.
Try Kalmyk tea, changing the amount of tea leaves, adding milk or cream, combining different spices (pepper, bay leaf, cloves, oregano, sweet flag, etc.), And you will definitely love this unusual tea and milk brew.