Written by Elizabeth Jones —
When I was 20 years old, I spent eight days in India. The visit may have been brief, but I was able to see and experience things I never thought possible in that time. When walking the streets, I was surrounded by hundreds of people, weaving motorcycles and honking rickshaws. It was loud and smelly because farm animals are allowed to roam freely. It wasn’t uncommon to fight a goat over the best tomato at a farmers’ market . The food was mostly vegetarian, yet incredibly flavorful. Every day, at least three courses were made for lunch or dinner and the whole family sat in a circle on the floor to enjoy it.
Most Indian dishes do not sound exciting if your only impression were by their names. Aloo Mutter translates to potatoes and peas, Bhindi Masala is simply okra curry and Dal is almost like a lentil soup. But these dishes, because of their spices, are far from boring. These recipes and more are deeply appreciated by the people and definitely one of the strongest parts of the culture.
When the British took over and occupied the land, they brought over with them some of their own traditions. One of which included a daily cup of tea. This ritual rubbed off on the locals, but they decided to make it their own.
- • Whole milk
- • Tea bags or loose black tea
- • Chai Masala*
- • Water
- • Ginger
- • Sugar
- Pour in two cups of water and 2 bags of tea into a pot and bring to a boil on high heat. Add a scoop of Chai Masala and roughly grated ginger to your taste. The more ginger you use, the spicier the beverage will be.
- Let these ingredients boil for a couple of minutes, then add 1 ½ cups of whole milk and as many scoops of sugar as you like. The drink is traditionally very sweet, as most people in India are not shy with their sugar. Reduce heat to a medium/high setting and let cook for a few minutes.
- The second boil should only be for a few minutes, but you’ll know for sure it’s done when it reaches a golden brown color. You don’t want it to get too dark, or else the flavoring will be off.
- When you are finished, strain the mixture into a mug or cup and enjoy.
- *Chai Masala is a spice mix that can be bought online, in tea shops, or made at home.
Chai is not something you can rush since it’s made from scratch every morning (and afternoon and evening, even into the night in India). The spices and tea need to boil and cook to fully reach their height in flavor and richness. Once you’ve tasted this wonderful beverage the way it was meant to be, simply nothing short of it will do.
Every person will make their tea differently, so feel free to experiment. Use this as a guideline when getting started and make it your own.