There are many things about the US that I started missing immediately after arrival in China: unrestricted internet, entertaining TV, concept of “personal space”, the use of bleach and other disinfectants in public restrooms, just to name a few.
Then there are the foodstuffs that, after months of searching, I came to realize are simply impossible to find. Chinese beers may cost pennies, but anything with actual hops are 3 times the Stateside price. Vegetables are insanely cheap, but good luck finding a decent box of cereal for less than $8. Markets have massive bins of Sichuan peppercorn and any dried seafood you’d desire, but I can’t find cardamom anywhere in the city.
Therefore, friends and loved ones who go abroad are essential to a worldly cook’s sanity. When Jacob returned from his last trip to Hungary, he toted back not only foie gras (hugs!!!), truffles (hugs!!!), and a plethora of Eastern European liquor (drunken hugs!!!), but also whole cardamom and cloves. It’s amazing how much those two spices can automatically freshen up your kitchen cabinets. And it was fitting we would take turns making tons and tons of chai.
There are many different preparations for masala chai (usually replaced by the blanket term “chai” in the West), though standard preparations include black tea, milk, and a sweeteners. My own fail-proof masala chai involves simmering a few cups of brewed black tea with whole cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves for a few minute, adding an equal portion of whole milk at the end, then turning off the heat and stirring in sugar. I have also seen other versions that include ginger, black pepper, star anise, and allspice.
Two nights ago I decided to try out this recipe for Kashmiri chai on Epicurious. It called for chopped pistachios, saffron, and nutmeg in addition to my usual spices (sans cloves). You can also use almonds instead of pistachios. For my own convenience, I threw whole spices into the pot instead of grinding them up beforehand. The recipe also suggests an optional shot of gin (influence from British colonialists, I presume), which I didn’t have. Vanilla vodka from Ikea, though, is a nice subsitute if you use sparingly.
One thing I don’t miss about the US is ordering a chai at a café, naïvely expecting something homemade, and getting an Oregon Chai or Tazo blend every time. Not that I have anything against pre-made chai blends, but they all taste the same, which is of sticky sweet milk. It still amazes me that cafés which proudly advertise their 30 types of artisanal coffee blends will serve chai (and hot chocolate) out of a box.
What is your favorite recipe for homemade chai?
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Kashmiri Chai
Makes 4 large drinks
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons pistachios, shelled and chopped
- 10 whole cardamom pods, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 piece cinnamon stick
- Pinch of saffron threads (10 to 15)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- Pinch salt
- 2 cups brewed black tea
- Bring the water and milk to a gentle simmer.
- Add the pistachios, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, and nutmeg and simmer over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, to allow the flavors to infuse. Stir in the brown sugar and salt. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Stir in the black tea.
- Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve. Divide into individual mugs and serve while still hot.
Adapted from Gourmet
ha ha! just read this post with a mug of chai already in my hand! being another worldy cook living in china, i also can’t live without my cardamon and cloves (bought during the last visa run to hong kong from chunking manions), particularly in the winter when i find my ice-cream habit turns into a hot milky drink habit. i normally put in cloves, cardamon, star anise, gui pi (not quite as good as cinnamon but way cheaper), black peppercorns, tea leaves, ginger, sugar AND honey – but what i want to know is, was this version any better than your standard one?
The intro to your post is hilarious.
I’ve always liked the idea of chai but the truth is I have a very hard time with Indian spices when used aggressively. The worse thing is eating a biryani and finding a cardamom pod in my mouth. I know a lot of Chinese people who are this way, so I blame it on my upbringing.
I love chai, it brings me back good memories of a friend in the US, but I never tried to make my own… I usually buy… great recipe, I have all ingredients here…
Diana, one day you should come to visit our bakery88 in Dali, we’re doing chai from the scratch. we got the same problem with cardamom, I’m always importing very good quality vanilla pods and cardamom from Germany. Give me a shout when you need. regards karine
We luv chai and haven’t drunk one for quite a while. Tks for your sharing. Can I replace black tea with other tea? Nice blog and beautiful photos!
I loved this post. My favorite masala chai recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian. If has ground ginger, cardamom, cloves black peppercorns and cinnamon. The milk is in a smaller ratio than your version, next time I’ll have to up the dairy because that sounds lovely.
1/4 inch bruised flattened ginger, 3 peppercorns, 2 cloves, 3 cardamoms boil along with 3 cups water, add 6 heaped teaspoons of black assam tea, boil for 3 mins, stir in half to one (depending on how you milky you like your tea) cup warm milk, add as much sugar according to taste, boil for 1/2 min, cover and brew for another 1 min. Strain and drink.
I love your comment about “personal space”. I would miss cereal very much, too!
I love chai, as a non coffee drinker I was sold when I went to Mumbai for work. I would get chai served by ” the Tea boy”. Sometimes ginger would be the prevailing spice, sometimes cardamom. I couldn’t agree more : Big coffee chains non coffee assortment is lousy. The worst kind is the powered they mix with hot milk. It’s not even tea! I can drink the Tazo but I agree it gets really boring. And they try to compensate the lack of caramelized milk with extra suger which makes it so sickly sweet.
I just moved to Japan and I am having a hard time finding lots of ingredients. I have to have all of my Korean ingredients sent to my by relatives in Korea…thank God they are close. Any many of my Indian spices are flown in from a contact in Fiji. I swear, I think that if I was to open up an exotic spice shop here, I would make bank!
my daughter loves chai so much, that, as a toddler, that’s the name that she gave milk. we make it together from scratch and cannot imagine being without beloved cardamom and nutmeg etc. we will try this recipe out next time we make a batch. yummmmmm.
Jessie – It had a more complex but a bit more muted aroma and flavor. Sometimes I prefer this, sometimes I like a stronger chai with cloves. I’ll continue to make it if I have pistachios handy.
Michele – I think I forgot to mention I strained the spices out before serving. Recipe revised!
Hi Diana,
You can find cardamon at San Yuan Li, I believe, or at the Indian Kitchen market in San Li Tun, right behind the Hunan Xiaochi place behind YaXiu. Punjabi on Lucky Street might have them too, but I’ve never ventured inside.
Also, true Kashmiri chai doesn’t use salt but baking soda, I believe–I’m of South Asian descent and my parents’ Pakistani friends would make this often during winter gatherings. They use a particular kind of green tea, which when combined with the baking soda turns the tea a lovely pink! Ground pistachios are added at the end to make it more interesting texturally.
I love chai. But I have to try adding nutmeg and saffron. Those I have never put in my chai so next time I will experiment a little.
I make my chai with:
Cardomom pods
cinnamon sticks
Fresh mutmeg
Cloves
a couple peppercorns
a slice of ginger
Red label tea (indian)
Milk
Honey
I biol the spice is some water, then add the tea, then add the milk at the last and strain. Must serve in an ugly (awesome) handmade mug (we call him mugly) and enjoy!
lk – You can use green tea, as commenter Mellissa just pointed out. Though I don’t know which type of green tea would be the best.
Mellissa – Is there a special reason to use the baking soda aside from turning the drink pink? Very interesting!
I don’t know, actually . . . but it’s worth it for pink tea. I think the preparation also involves the addition of cold water at some point. It’s all very complicated, and I never could replicate it.
I have been scouring the internet for a good recipe because I actually miss the ease of buying my Stash Chai in the tea bag. Your beginning comments about life in China are right or at least for Shanghai.
I love chais, it is just so warm and comforting!
In Kerala where my family is from chai was made only with cardomom and no other spices, was heavy on the milk and sweetend with sugar. It was served hot and frothy. I like it best this way. However, when I make it now I occassionally add along with the cardomom a sliver of ginger and a mint leaf (from my mint patch in NY). I use loose indian black tea which is added to a 50/50 ratio of boiled water and fat free milk (this is my preferance, not authentic). I then let this steep a few minutes while covered, strain and add honey. I find if you pour the tea back and forth between two containers in order to create some froth it brings out the flavor of the cardomon. Cheers!
Rachel – That sounds a lot like teh tarik (pulled tea), made by the Indian communities in Malaysia and Singapore. And Hong Kong-style milk tea, where they strain the back and forth for a smoother finish. Mint sounds like a great addition.
Diana, While in Kerala India, I don’t think I ever had tea which was not “pulled” :)
Here’s a picture of tea being pulled up to 4ft:
http://bombaylives.blogspot.com/2007/08/chai-kerala-style.html
Here’s a great recipe for Masala Chai
Boil some water
When the water gets luke warm
Add a few slices of ginger
Then add a couple of cardammon seeds
to this add a few black pepper seeds
Let it boil on a slow flame
then add sugar, tea leafs
once the color of the tea is there
add milk to taste and let it boil and serve
it’s the best masala tea you ever had
I’m a chai newbie, and found all these posts quite exciting. I can’t wait to start experimenting. I made–and tasted–my first Chai a few weeks ago, but it was a Chai hot chocolate,did you all cringe? It was
completely yummy…black tea, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, vanilla, sugar, milk. Thanks for all the recipes, keep them coming.
Hi,
The recipe given here for Kashmiri Chai is not at all Kashmiri Chai. Kashmiri tea or chai uses salt instead of sugar. This is one which is mix of Irani tea or Kahwa which uses 11 ingredients (Kah meaning 11 in Kashmiri Language) and some normal masala tea. Kahwa don’t include milk in its ingredients. That is another type of beverage called Dwad Kahwa meaning Milk in Kahwa. Dwad Kahwa hasn’t 11 ingredients but just name infulenced as the leaves used in Kahwa and Dwad Kahwa are same, just the quantity matters, halved in latter. Believe me most of the recipes about kashmiri chai you find on internet are wrong. I am a Kashmiri by birth and know to make it better than any one else. Sine it uses salt not sugar we don’t put cardamom or cinnamom or saffron in it. Yes, we may add finely ground almond seeds, white poppy seeds locally called as Khash-Khaash(very little amount), a spinkle of black pepper powder and a spoon of yellow butter. These 4 things are added if prepared for some party like occasions. Otherwise the only ingredients of Kashmiri Tea are water, tea leaves, milk and salt. A pinch of baking powder is always required to give it pink color, otherwise remains white. We boil the leaves in water along and add salt and baking powder to it. Mostly it is boiled for an hour or two. Milk is added after tea frangance starts coming out. Then it is boiled again for few minutes and served hot. make it this way and and enjoy. In case you want to add almond seeds, whilte poppy seeds, some black powder and butter add them is minimum possible quantity just to add flavor at the time milk is added.
For any other exclusive Kashmiri recipie mail me
HEY ADNAN … your explanation above is great and since your a true source of authentic Kashmiri tea.. Could you please forward or post additional details such as the type of tea used, is it a slow simmer for one hour, how much baking soda, no sugar is added at all, no spices?
Thanks in advance
Adnan,I am a kashmiri too.
The recipie is a correct description of the Kahwah tea.
What you are talking about is called Noon Chai, that is salt-tea, it contains salt.
Beware Kahwah contains lots of sugar , almonds, cardamom , cinnamon. I drink it every day
Dwad chai is Kahwah made with some milk…