“These days I’m a big chai tea/soymilk kind of guy.” -Michael Hitchcock as uptight, neurotic, and overprotective Weimeraner owner Hamilton Swan in Christopher Guest‘s brilliant 2000 comedy Best in Show
Have you all lost your patience with me yet? First tofu, and now chai??? What’s next – wheatgrass shakes and fakin’ bacon? Yes, sure, it’s true…..chai does get a bad rap. But I feel sorry for chai. It sort of had the trajectory of a teen idol frenzy: a meteoric rise to popularity followed by over-branding and market saturation. Now, it just seems washed up and relegated to the same status as patchouli oil and hacky sacks. It’s the butt of coffee-house jokes, and it doesn’t deserve it one bit.
When I moved into my place a few years ago, my new Indian-American neighbor welcomed me with an invitation to join her upstairs for some chai tea and chit chat. I hadn’t had chai in years, and much of what I remembered about it wasn’t pretty: overly sweet pre-packaged mixtures from Whole Foods, bland pre-prepared tea satchels, and of course the pitiful Starbuckian variety. I’ll say it. I was skeptical. When I walked in, though, her apartment smelled intoxicatingly exotic, and after hugs were exchanged she got to work grating fresh ginger root into the pot. I could tell I was about to get schooled.
Rupal’s chai was the best I had ever, ever had. And the reasons why are simple: good tea leaves (may I suggest a wonderful purveyor?), whole spices, freshly-grated nutmeg and ginger, controlling the sweetness yourself, and love. Of course, now that she knows me a little better, our visits have graduated to beverages of the fermented grape variety, but I’ll never forget that lovely extension of friendship by way of a beautiful cup of homemade chai. Now that I’ve actually had the opportunity to visit India myself, I’ve come to learn the special importance of tea as a way of forming bonds, welcoming guests, and promoting conversation. Some version of milk tea was offered to me immediately almost everywhere I went, and I sipped all of it up quite happily while I made new friends. The recipe below is quite authentic, and I hope it inspires a re-visit with chai as much as it does a visit with a friend.
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger root, washed, peeled, and grated
6 cardamom pods, crushed with a mortar and pestle or the bottom of a heavy pan
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Fresh-grated nutmeg, equal to about 2 pinches
6 pieces whole star anise
8 whole black peppercorns
1 1/2 cups milk (NOTE: I used 2%. Whole or 1% would work fine as well, but I won’t recommend skim milk here. Or anywhere else, for that matter.)
6 tsp. loose darjeeling or assam tea (or 6 tea bags)
Sugar, to taste
Cinnamon sticks and extra whole star anise, if desired, for garnish
Instructions:
1. Place water, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, and black peppercorns in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
2. Turn the heat down to medium and add the milk, stirring occasionally until everything comes back up to a gentle boil. Add tea and allow to bubble gently for another minute or so.
3. Strain the solids away and pour the chai back into a clean pot, bowl, or pitcher. Pour the chai back and forth a few times from the pot to the mug in order to froth the milk a bit. Serve hot with a garnish of star anise and a cinnamon stick, if desired.
Yield: A big mug for you, and a big mug for your drinking buddy
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