Indian chai is a spiced milk tea that has become increasingly popular throughout the world and it's very easy to find chai at the most of cafes these days. However I find it the flavor of the chai I get at cafes is far different from the original taste of Indian chai.
So can we find authentic Indian chai everywhere if we go to India ? Umm.. good question.
The most of tea sold at chai stands and Indian railways in India is usually just a black tea with milk ( possibly with some spices ) or masala chai (if you are lucky ) which is made from scratch with fresh ginger and ground spices . You could experience the authentic spiced chai If you are invited to someone's home or at decent restaurants. Chai is a very common drink in India , however some of regions such as Karnataka, a state in the south western region of India, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern India are well-known for milk coffee over chai.
To make chai, you can add different spices, such as black peppercorns, whole cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, whole cloves ,whole nutmeg, ginger etc.. but you don't need to prepare all the spices, you can select spices you like and make your own best chai.
The key to make good Indian chai is use broken tea leaves or not expensive tea leaves to bring real flavor of Indian chai. Why it is so ? It is related a history of tea in India. Even though tea production has started in India back in the 19th century, it was just for exporting to the UK and high quality tea was not distributed in India. Therefore, Indians started using available broken tea leaves and milk to make chai and they started boil tea leaves and milk together to bring better flavor. This is the main difference between Indian chai and normal milk tea. Milk will be boiled in the process of making chai and milk is added just at the end without boiling for normal milk tea. And Indians were also adding available local spices such as cardamom, cinnamon to bring even better flavor. That is why chai in India is still made with boiled milk and spices and this is the Indian style spiced milk tea called chai.
Before you start making your chai, just one notice, "Can I please have a chai tea ?" ordering like this at a coffee stand in India is odd, It means
" Can I have a tea tea ?" because chai is the Hindi word for tea!
Here is my chai recipe, enjoy !
Ingredients for 2 people
3 Thin slices fresh ginger (about 3-inch)
3 Cardamon pods
3 Whole black peppercorns
3 Whole clove
1/2 Cinnamon sticks
2 cops of water
1/2 cups of organic soy milk
1 Black tea bag
2 Tbs of honey
1. Crush the cardamom pods and black peppercorns. Transfer the crushed spices to a small saucepan, add the water, ginger and cloves and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil for 7 to 8 mins.
2. Add the black tea leaves and let them boil for 2 mins. ( You could also add the tea leaves at the beginning with spices. It depending on how strong you want for your tea. I add tea leaves a little bit after as I normally drink only herbal tea except chai and prefer light tea.)
4. Add the soy milk and let them boil for another 6 mins. When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat and stir well. Bring to a boil once again, turn off the heat and stir well. Allow to steep for a few minutes.
5. Strain it into your favourite teacups and add honey after chai is under 40 degrees. ( In Ayurveda, honey heated over 65 °C (104 °F)creates ama which means toxins. )
Have a lovely afternoon with the homemade chai!
Radhe Aananda Yoga and Healing recipes
