Table of Contents
- Introduction to Chai tea
- Where does Chai come from?
- What is Chai tea made up of?
- How to brew Chai tea
- Household Chai customizations
Introduction to Chai tea
One tradition of the people in India is to serve their guests with tea or what they call “chai tea”. Indians refer to unexpected visitors as “emissaries of gods” so when visitors arrive, you have to serve them, especially chai. Chai is a well-known sweetened spice tea from India. It’s the perfect drink for Indians as well as people from tropical parts of the globe. This is because hot tea triggers the body’s cooling reflexes that help bring the body temperature down so they can still work well despite the intense climate.
Where does Chai come from?
Indians love to drink chai mostly twice a day just like British people, the latter has been known to have foisted teas in India, from China to Britain, then from Britain to India, and now the whole world, though in India about half the percent of people are drinking coffee.
In Bombay, chai tea is popular to be very strong and lots of street vendors serve and sell chai made with a strong flavor.
What is Chai tea made up of?
The standard is served half “cutting chai,” because it tends to be very powerful. If you are using whole spices, you should weigh out the right amount of the ingredients, and place in a spice grinder till comes to a consistency of fine powder, some people like to grind the spices individually but others grind them together and then stored in an airtight container and this mixture is called Masala. There are many ways to make chai, some start off by boiling all the ingredients in sequence, and others just stir the tea 3 times in a clockwise direction or circles, some may also just put all the ingredients and let the mixture to come to a boil.
How to brew Chai tea
When using loose-leaf tea, it is needed to be strained now once fully brewed. Pour ingredients in the saucepan (if available the spouted type of saucepan is the best choice to use because it will lessen the spilling of tea). Turn on the stove to medium heat. Allow simmering until bubbles (small) appear on the milk. Stir the chai continuously, while the milk is boiling scrape the bottom so there would not be any burnt mixture, filming as well, when the milk comes to boil, turn off the heat and stir. Bring to a boil again, stir well. Allow the tea to steep for a few minutes, and then it must be strained.
Household Chai customizations
Every household has different types of flavorings and preparation for chai, even in culinary cooking in India, every kitchen has special varieties to offer not on in tasty foods but also drinks and personalities. Chai Masala is very easy to prepare and you can choose what ingredient you would like to add or lessen depending on what you like best. So why not try and taste, you are encouraged to try and even experiment on your own to come up with the perfect spicy flavor you like the most. This is a wonderful treat that will soothe your palette’s craving for something extraordinaire.