At most Tantra School
talks, Rahasya brews Chai. This started as a a reward thing
for those who come on time for our talks – the punctual people
got to enjoy a cup while waiting for the stragglers. Nowadays,
thanks to a 16 litre urn, there's usually enough to go around.
At least one person has said "I only come
for the Chai" and there have been requests for the recipe.
This is a tricky thing. There are as many Chai recipes as there
are Chai Wallahs. Quantities vary with every pot made, as do
the choice of spices and the brewing method.
For a 5 litre pot:
Ingredients:
All spices whole. Cinnamon (a lot),
cardamom (lots. More for white cardamom,
less for black), cloves (just a few), black pepper (a small
handful), ginger (a fat piece or two), sugar (±200g to taste,
sweet enough to gentle the cloves), full cream milk (1.5 to
2 litres) and black tea (6 to 8 teabags).
A photo of the Masala (spice mix) to give more
of an idea of quantities for that 5 litre pot:
Brewing Method:
Put the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black
pepper in the pot, add 3 litres of water. Bing to boil, then
simmer for 2 to 3 hours with a lid on the pot. The relative
strengths of the spices varies quite a bit over this time.
When the kitchen smells gorgeous, continue...
Cut or crush (put on table, hit with fist) the
ginger and add it. Simmer for another hour.
Add about half the sugar. Stir until disolved.
Simmer for another hour.
Add the black tea.
Simmer for another hour.
Pour in the milk, bring to the boil carefully
(Watch out for the milk frothing
and boiling over!) simmer for yet another hour, adding sugar
to taste. It's right when the sweetness achives a pleasing
balance with the bitterness of the cloves.
Personalisation and variations:
More black pepper and ginger increases the "bite",
less makes a gentle, mellow chai. An emphasis on cardamom deepens
the flavour. More milk increases creaminess. For a very creamy
chai, use as much milk as water, or even more. The masala spice
mix can also contain star anise, nutmeg and if you want to
be really fancy, a pinch of safron.
Left-over Chai:
If your chai survives your guests, you're in
for a treat tomorrow. Chai is at it's best after reheating
on it's second day. It's also delicious cold, crushed ice
optional. Chai can be frozen for later reheating, or served
as Chaicecream.
Happy brewing..
