The Chai Wallah. (Part 2)

Chai recipe!

After receiving the hospitality from so many people and making it for my own guests, I have a pretty good recipe going. Everyone has their own taste, but this general recipe goes over pretty well. Obviously, there is some eye-balling involved in the measuring process. For an honored guest, extra sugar or cream is added.

1 cup water
1 cup whole milk (water buffalo if you can get it, with a fat content of 8%)
2 heaping Tbs loose black tea (3 or 4 tea bags of lipton might do it)
2 Tbs sugar
Fresh ginger- a piece about the size of the end of your thumb
Assorted spice
      -4 pieces clove
      -3 pods green cardamom (powdered might be available in states?)
      -1 dash of ground cinnamon
      -there are other good spices to experiment with, but this is a good start

-Without lighting the fire, combine the water, tea, and sugar in a pot. Add the ginger after crushing it with the back of a knife. Add the assorted spices after cracking up any pods.
-Light the fire, bring to a boil, and let it foam for 30 seconds.
-Add the milk, return to a boil and let it foam for 30 seconds.
-Pour the chai through a tea strainer while serving

Makes 4 servings
 

Scenes From a Chai Stall

This sight in the background caught me off guard. The officer stood at an intersection with a megaphone explaining traffic rules and correcting motorists disregarding the instructions. That's almost what I feel like doing sometimes. I could shake his hand for being so dutiful.

Culture point: notice the  man sitting on that handsome new motorcycle. I turned around from sipping some chai and this stranger was looking quite comfortable on my bike. Personal space is tight, so generally, any parked vehicle doubles as an acceptable place for anyone to sit. It's part of the community mind set that is something to adapt to.