As a person who has spent quite a bit of time in India as an ethnographer, I was delighted when I first saw that places in America such as Starbucks are serving chai. That is, until I ordered my first cup. Let me tell you, what we call, “chai” here in America and what they serve every day in India, are two different things!
In India, chai is a part of daily life, that goes beyond having something hot and delicious to drink. It is part of the culture and in many cases, the way a woman is perceived is at least somewhat dependent on her ability to make and serve chai properly.
Not only is it normal to make a pot of chai first thing in the morning, chai is also immediately prepared when people drop by for those ever present unannounced visits. Because of that, when living in India, one of the first things I had other women teach me how to do was how to make a proper pot of chai. This served me well as I was able to properly practice hospitality by serving chai and biscuits every time someone came for a visit.
First, one thing you should know about proper Indian chai is that it often contains no spices. As a cultural researcher who spent a year in India, I drank literally hundreds of cups of chai, and never once had chai that is spicy like it is when purchased here in the United States. When spices are used in chai in India, they are a very subtle addition to the chai that add just a hint of flavor. Chai in the United States is far spicier than chai in India. It isn’t that it is wrong to put spices in chai if you like it that way, but just know that the ultra spicy chai we serve in America isn’t what you’ll find in India.
Because of that, I’m going to give you instructions for making chai without spices, and then let you know how to spice up the chai in a authentic Indian way if you are so inclined.
In an Indian kitchen, standard measuring tools are not used when making chai. Instead, you will use your tea cup to measure the water and milk. The instructions I’m providing are based on a smallish tea cup, not a mug. If you choose to use a mug, double the amount of loose tea leaves and sugar.
The beauty of using the tea cups to measure is that you can make precisely the number of cups of chai needed.
For EACH person you will serve chai to, do the following:
Place 1 teacup of water into a saucepan.
Add 1 heaping teaspoon of loose black tea leaves into the cold water. (Some Indians like to mix Lipton Red Label tea and Lipton Green Label tea. The mixture does provide a nice blend of flavor.)
Bring the water to a boil, and add in 1 teaspoon of sugar, and boil for 1 minute.
Add in one teacup of milk, and heat to boiling. Allow to boil for about 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn’t boil over.
Strain and serve.
Notice that for one serving of chai I have 1 teacup of water, 1 heaping teaspoon of loose black tea, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teacup of milk. This provides more than one cup of chai per person! I do it this way for a couple of reasons. First of all, some of the water evaporates while boiling, Secondly, some people may want a second cup of chai. If I prepare chai in the way described above, I generally have just the right amount for all present, and everybody is happy.
Notice there are no spices in the above recipe. If you want to add spices to your chai, traditionally you will want to use a small piece of finely minced fresh ginger root in the winter or if making chai for someone with a cold, or a crushed cardamom pod or two in the summer. You may also use a powdered chai masala found in Indian grocery stores if you prefer a greater variety of spices, but add just a pinch for about four servings of chai. I like to add the spices in the cold water at the same time I add the tea leaves so the spices have time to infuse the water with flavor.
If making chai for company, I strain the chai as I pour it into a nice teapot and then serve my guests the chai directly from the teapot. If making chai for myself, I just use the strainer when pouring the chai directly from the pot into my tea cup.
I hope these instructions will help you to enjoy authentic Indian chai, no matter where in the world you live.
