Chai

Living in India has me already adjusting to certain daily rituals, such as actively trying not to be struck by vehicles on the street as I walk to school and eating only with my right hand (do not ask me about the left hand, trust me you don’t want to know.) One of the most satisfying staples is chai, which continuously runs through my veins at the rate I consume it. Chai in the morning, a chai break after our first class (our schedule actually says “chai break” from 11:00 am – 11:15 am), chai after lunch, chai in the evening, chai all day long. You can’t walk into someone’s house without them pushing a cup of chai into your hand.

Chai serves an important social role in Indian culture, but pre-British colonialism tea leaves mainly functioned as an herbal medicine. It wasn’t until the East India Company started providing its factory and textile workers with black tea that chai became popular and widespread. Much to the Company’s distress (and much to my enjoyment) chai wallahs and vendors started spicing up the tea and adding more milk and sugar, decreasing the amount of tea leaves they had to buy from the Company. So a double win.

A triple win is the fact that my host mom Rekha ji makes without a doubt the best chai I have ever had. I will fight anyone to the death who says otherwise. And lucky for you I have the recipe.

Start by boiling one and a half tea cups of water, then add three heaping teaspoons of sugar. Next toss in nearly two teaspoons of black tea (any standard kind… Red Label, whatever.) Now comes the key ingredient, a delightful mixture of spices Rekha ji has prepared. It consists of dried ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper. Add a large pinch of this to the boiling tea. Finally pour in about one and a half teacups of milk… continue to boil this for a few more minutes, about five to ten mins in all. Strain into an adorable chai cup. Now drink and be amazed.