{A Girl At the local Starbucks} Can I have a Chai Tea Latte?
{Ancient} Me : "Chai Tea Latte"? That's "tea tea milk"..? That's like saying Starbucks Starbucks coffee. Or maybe not..Starbucks is a proper noun..chai..no..Ok so may be its equivalent to saying "Chocolate Chocolate biscotti" or "Whole wheat whole wheat pasta".
Yes, that is what it is equivalent to!
Masala chai is an Indian drink made my adding a blend of aromatic spices in freshly brewed tea and served hot.
Masala = Spices
Chai = Tea
It is a staple in our home and indeed, in most Indian homes. Every family has a different way of preparing their favourite brew. Some alter the ratio of the different spices, some would add more milk than water in this recipe.
While staying in New York, sharing an apartment with 2 other roommates, there would be 3 different types of tea that were made EVERY morning. Even in the morning rush that all of us used to be in, we would not budge and have the tea the other roomie was making. One used to simmer it for very long, which would make it thick and slightly burnt tasting for my liking, one used to have her own special blend of darjeeling tea with honey, and I used to have my good ole spiced chai. I usually grind up a big batch of spices every few weeks for my chai.
RECIPE
Here is what you will need to make 4 cups of Masala Chai
INGREDIENTS
- 3 Cardamom pods - Discard the outer peel, use only the seeds from the pod
- 1 Cinnamon stick 1 1/2" stick
- few pepper corns
- a teaspoon of fennel seeds
- 1" piece of ginger
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 5 teaspoons assam or darjeeling tea
- 3 and half tablespoons sugar. Brown sugar works beautifully in this recipe, but regular granulated sugar is fine too.
DIRECTIONS
- Grind the spices into a powder.
- Place the water in a saucepan, and add the tea to it.
- Add in the sugar and the ground spices
- Grate the ginger piece and put it in the saucepan
- Once the concoction comes to a boil, add in the milk
- Simmer it all for about a minute or two so that all the flavours combine
- When it starts coming to a boil again, take it off the heat and pour it in your tea cups using a sieve.
- Enjoy it hot with a biscuit or 2.
