mmm… masala chai
I love chai, especially when brewed for ages and made with condensed milk. Best cup I ever had was on the train to Agra. “Chaichaichaichaichaichaichaichaichai! Chaichaichaichaichaichai!”
You think that’s bad, Doc, get this: I’m still reading the title as “I less than three hai.” :smack:
That’s why I don’t drink this kind of tea; I read it as a Hebrew word, not as a type of drink. (That, plus I don’t drink tea anyway.)
“Gar know many things. Pol-i-tics. Math-e-matics. Tea.”
(Sorry–only game geeks will get it.)
Chai. Yuck. Can’t stand the smell, can’t stand the taste, can’t understand how the rest of the country drinks the stuff! Which makes me part of a tiny, tiny, tiny minority hereabouts.
Seriously, gimme a tall glass of Hershey’s Drinking Chocolate in cold milk anytime!
Just to show what a geek I am, I read the thread title as “I (the writer) received standard input from 3 chai.” In other words, a nerdy way of saying that one has consumed 3 chai. Then I thought, not exactly knowing what chai was, that maybe 3 was an unheard of amount of chai to drink, because maybe it’s loaded with caffeine or some potent oriental herb.
Well, it’s early.
The key to “authentic” chai is the “authentic” spices, particularly the savory (as opposed to sweet, not as in the herb called savory) ones.
I have inherited a jar filled with random whole spices (yer basic amalgamation of seed-looking things, bark-lookin’ bits, and little unidentifiable whatnots) from people who were moving out of an apartment that was occupied by a long succession of grad students from many different nations. None of the current occupants had any idea whatsoever what was in the jar or where it had come from, but they had always used it when cooking Indian-style food.
I have so far identified the following components:
- Fennel.
- Lots of other stuff that I have no idea what it is.
When it’s gone, my chai will probably start to suck. Anyway, if you want somewhat-authentic-tasting chai, like the kind you get at a little hole-in-the-wall Indian restuarant as opposed to the kind that comes from (shudders) Starbucks, they key is to expand beyond the cinnamon and cardmom.
I suggest: whole peppercorns, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds, whole coriander (aka cumin), and other savory spices. It’s best to use whole spices, and strain them out when you strain out the tea leaves. (You are using loose tea, aren’t you? :dubious: It doesn’t have to be good tea, but how the heck are you going to get any flavor out of tea bags if you’re boiling them with milk and sugar? If you have nothing but bags, cut them open and dump the tea in loose.)
The current version of my ever-evolving recipe:
In a large saucepan, combine equal parts milk and water.
While it’s heating up, add PER CUP:
1 tsp sugar (I don’t like my chai too sweet; adjust to your taste.)
1 tsp black tea
2 whole cloves
1/2 stick of cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds (I don’t have pods)
1/4 tsp whole peppercorns
1/4 tsp random spices
Boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and rest for five minutes. Strain and serve. Be sure to make a big batch and pour what you don’t drink hot into a pitcher and refridgerate for tasty iced chai.
It’s pretty hard to screw up, so go nuts. I usually err on the side of adding too much stuff. If it’s too strong, you can always dilute it, right?
That’s one possible interpretation.
Chai does have a nice amount of caffiene as it is tea-based, but nto as much as a cup of coffee, so 3 cups of chai isn’t an ungodly amount.