After meeting Mr. S, he was posted in the US and after some time I took a flight to visit him there. After a 9-hour flight I finally reached there completely exhausted. At his apartment he made me two things. A bowl full of Maggi ramen noodles and a cup of hot chai. I wasn’t a fan of the ramen noodles but I loved the chai. Ever since I have it almost every day for breakfast or sometimes in the afternoon too.
In India chai is drunk everywhere and every time. In the morning after waking up, in little shops at the market while selecting a beautiful sari, in the afternoon and it is always offered when someone comes to visit or you visit somebody. You can add several spices to the chai- the most common being cinnamon and cardamom. Depending on region there are different variations. I already tried it with coriander seeds or star anise. Traditionally chai is made with cow’s milk and lots of sugar. But if you’re not big on dairy like me, then it tastes just as good with almond or cashew milk, oat milk or any other milk you prefer.
Indian chai
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup milk per choice (I like to use oat milk or almond milk)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 cardamom pods
- 2-3 cm -long piece of ginger, sliced
- 1 tbsp black tea leaves
- 1 tbsp coconut blossom sugar, optional
Instructions
-
Coarsely crush cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves in a mortar. In a pot bring water, milk, spices, sugar and ginger to a boil. Add the tea leaves and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Take off of heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour through a sifter and enjoy!
