Chai & a cup of love and warmth

Food Illustration by Sophia Katharina x the food & love project

Story and recipe by Kay @the_treat_truck:

My Chai Story:

Warm, comfort in a cup is what chai means to me. Gathering around a table filled with pakodas with cups of hot chai in our hands and the rain coming down outside, chai and marie or glucose biscuits, office breaks with a cup of cutting chai in one hand and a vada pav in the other; these are memories so many of us cherish and love. Chai conjures up memories of family and friends, of good times and great times.

Everyone has a specific chai recipe and we all believe ours is the best : ) but the truth is chai is an emotion. It is love, it is comfort and it is warmth. If you haven’t tried chai yet, try this recipe and adjust the spices to make it your own but remember to get that dark to medium-dark colour on point! : )

 My Personalized Chai Recipe

Ingredients:

·         1/4 inch cinnamon stick

·         3 elaichi pods

·         3 pepper cloves

·         1 cup water

·         1/8 cup milk

·         2-3 tbsps dried tea leaves

·         1tbsp jaggery or sugar (more if you like sweet chai)

Method:

Roughly dash the cinnamon stick, elaichi pods and pepper cloves in a mortar and pestle.

Place the milk and water in a pan on the stove. Add in the crushed spices. Bring to a boil then lower the heat, stir and allow to boil for 1 to 2mins before adding the tea leaves. Bring to a boil again, stir and allow to boil for 2 – 3mins. The colour of your chai is the most important. Not too light and not too dark, you’ll instinctively know once you’ve made chai a couple of times : )

Add some jaggery or sugar to your teacup and pour in the hot chai. Stir and enjoy!

Alternatively, you can skip the spices and grate a 1/4 piece fresh piece of ginger over the milk + water mix (immediately after you place the mix on the fire). Add as much or as little ginger as you wish. If using a lot of ginger increase the amount of jaggery or sugar.