As I suspected, even before I got there, the chai we get here at home isn't quite what they have in India. Even at all my favorite places it's still good, but just missing something. Some people say it's the water that makes the food and drink different there. I'm not sure I buy that as far as Delhi is concerned since I certianly didn't drink any authentic Delhi water and my food and tea was terrific. I guess there could be something to it. But that is all of no concern to me now, as I have learned to make my own chai as close as I can to what my lovely hosts offered me in India.
And here's how I do it.
This is what I use:
-Taj Mahal orange pekoe tea (not in bags), you can get a box of this at Krishna's in Lafayette, but any black tea will do I suppose.
-Turbinado (aka "raw") sugar. I don't use white sugar because it makes it taste bizarre.
-Fresh basil leaves
-Cardamom pods (probably just the seeds would work too, but this is what I have.)
-Milk
-Cinnamon
-Fresh ginger
First I find my favorite little pot, strainer & special chai cup. I use the same one every day. You may have a bigger chai cup than me and will want to make your chai accordingly.
(If you want a cup that's twice as big, for example, I wouldn't just double the recipe. I'd stick with about 50/50 milk/water and then play around with it a little and see what works best. And if you're sensitive to caffiene, like my mother who gets all crazy eyed when I make her chai, you can certainly use less tea and it'll still be pretty good. The spices are the best part anyway!)
Turn your burner on medium, and pour in about 1/2 c. water, throw in a couple basil leaves (or one giant one if you have a macho plant like I do!) I sorta crunch open a couple cardamom pods so that I don't deprive myself of the potent seeds inside and throw the whole pod in. You'll strain it in the end so it doesn't matter which one you use. You can get the pods or seeds in the bulk spice section of most stores. (Or go to Simple Bulk on Main St.)
Let that start to bubble a little bit and let the flavors start flowing.
Then add about 1.5 teaspoons of Taj Mahal tea, about 1 Tablespoon of Turbinado sugar, and grate 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger right in to the pot--more or less depending on how gingery you're feeling.
I use my cinnamon grinder to add a dash of fresh cinnamon on the top, stir everything together so it's all in the water and let it bubble for a minute or so.
***You don't want your burner too high & don't want to let it boil for too long because it'll boil away your water and you'll end up with less chai than you planned on or it'll be too milky. Unless of course you like it that way, then by all means, boil away. Basically you want it bubbling and not really boiling.***
Add 1/2 c. of milk and wait for it to foam up a little bit. (I think letting it foam makes it creamier...but I could totally be making it up.)
Turn off the burner and let it sit for a moment to cool down.
Put your strainer over your cup and carefully pour it in. It'll strain out all your tea and spice chunks.
When I'm not in too much of a rush to get to drinking my wonderful chai I'll leave it to cool for a couple minutes until I get that milky film on the top because that'll get stuck in the strainer and will leave less in your cup to get stuck on your face.
If you're terribly efficient like me you'll run out and get the paper while your tea and spices are simmering, you'll pop in your toast just after you pour in the milk.
About the time the toast is done, you can turn off your tea, butter your toast (with Indian brand Amul butter), pour your tea in the glass, soak your pot, and grab the paper. It's a perfect system!
So there you have a morning in the kitchen with KJ....
And here's how I do it.
This is what I use:
-Taj Mahal orange pekoe tea (not in bags), you can get a box of this at Krishna's in Lafayette, but any black tea will do I suppose.
-Turbinado (aka "raw") sugar. I don't use white sugar because it makes it taste bizarre.
-Fresh basil leaves
-Cardamom pods (probably just the seeds would work too, but this is what I have.)
-Milk
-Cinnamon
-Fresh ginger
First I find my favorite little pot, strainer & special chai cup. I use the same one every day. You may have a bigger chai cup than me and will want to make your chai accordingly.
(If you want a cup that's twice as big, for example, I wouldn't just double the recipe. I'd stick with about 50/50 milk/water and then play around with it a little and see what works best. And if you're sensitive to caffiene, like my mother who gets all crazy eyed when I make her chai, you can certainly use less tea and it'll still be pretty good. The spices are the best part anyway!)
Turn your burner on medium, and pour in about 1/2 c. water, throw in a couple basil leaves (or one giant one if you have a macho plant like I do!) I sorta crunch open a couple cardamom pods so that I don't deprive myself of the potent seeds inside and throw the whole pod in. You'll strain it in the end so it doesn't matter which one you use. You can get the pods or seeds in the bulk spice section of most stores. (Or go to Simple Bulk on Main St.)
Let that start to bubble a little bit and let the flavors start flowing.
Then add about 1.5 teaspoons of Taj Mahal tea, about 1 Tablespoon of Turbinado sugar, and grate 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger right in to the pot--more or less depending on how gingery you're feeling.
I use my cinnamon grinder to add a dash of fresh cinnamon on the top, stir everything together so it's all in the water and let it bubble for a minute or so.
***You don't want your burner too high & don't want to let it boil for too long because it'll boil away your water and you'll end up with less chai than you planned on or it'll be too milky. Unless of course you like it that way, then by all means, boil away. Basically you want it bubbling and not really boiling.***
Add 1/2 c. of milk and wait for it to foam up a little bit. (I think letting it foam makes it creamier...but I could totally be making it up.)
Turn off the burner and let it sit for a moment to cool down.
Put your strainer over your cup and carefully pour it in. It'll strain out all your tea and spice chunks.
When I'm not in too much of a rush to get to drinking my wonderful chai I'll leave it to cool for a couple minutes until I get that milky film on the top because that'll get stuck in the strainer and will leave less in your cup to get stuck on your face.
About the time the toast is done, you can turn off your tea, butter your toast (with Indian brand Amul butter), pour your tea in the glass, soak your pot, and grab the paper. It's a perfect system!
So there you have a morning in the kitchen with KJ....
Now who wants to help me with the crossword??
lovely but decaf for me!
ReplyDelete