Proper Chai
So many basic and brilliant things are ruined once mass marketers get a hold of them. Water springs to mind! Remember when drinking water just involved turning on the tap? Instead of selecting still or sparkling from a multitude of bottles. Chai, a South Asian spiced tea is another example. It arrived in Britain with the waves of immigration from the sub continent. It did not meet popular tea culture, however, until the hippies and travellers got a hold of it. Now, you can find pre-spiced bags along with brewed and bottled teas in every major supermarket. If you are desperate for a home-made authentic chai, you need to become clever in the way that you search for online recipes. The middle classes on the sub continent are very active on the internet, and you can find sites where housewives and mums trade recipes. I had instant and enormous success asking google for Mumbai Chai Recipe! Bingo, I got to Madhu’s Zone and a list of various authentic recipes. Every region has a different spice blend, but all use a basic method:
- Bring a sauce pan of water to a boil.
- Add a pinch of spice blend for each cup.
- Return to boil and add milk
- Boil again for a minute.
- Allow to steep or strain immediately into tea cups.
Chai is traditionally sweetened by the person who is brewing it and is drunk very very sweet. The spice blend includes some of the following and varies according to region and taste:
- black pepper
- fresh ginger
- green cardamom
- cinnamon
- fennel seeds
- nutmeg
- coriander seeds
Similar Posts:
Thinking Of London? You Should Read This : Oh, it’s a…
Film Four at Summerset House : After six years i have finally…
London At Christmas : In my opinion London is at it’s…
Review: The Blind Beggar Pub : Blind Beggar pub is a wonderful…
Comments are closed!