Close your eyes. Relax.
Imagine yourself in a far away, exotic land.
Listen to the soft music blowing in the breeze.
Smell the fragrance of spices and … no wait,
those aromas aren't from some foreign village;
you're at the local café. They're radiating from
a cup of chai on the table next to you.
Chai (rhymes with "sky")
is one of the newest "hot" beverages in the U.S.
The word chai means tea in the Middle East,
Eastern Asia, and as a Swahili word for tea in
Eastern Africa. What we are calling chai in the
U.S. is marsala chai - spiced tea. Chai can
actually be traced back over 5000 years to the
Hindu natural healing system called "ayurveda"
as a combination of spices, herbs and teas used
for their health benefits as a digestive aid.
Although the spices used and method of
preparation vary from region to region, chai
imparts a warming, soothing effect, acts as a
natural digestive aid and promotes a sense of
well being.
The spices and herbs used
all add their own health benefits to the
combination. Tea leaves provide antioxidants
which are known to fight cancer-causing cells,
lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood
pressure. Clove invigorate and help generate
heat in the body, making them useful during the
cold and flu season. Ginger is known to
strengthen and heal the digestive and
respiratory systems, fight off colds and flu,
remove congestion, sooths sore throats, and
relieves body aches. Cinnamon acts as a
stimulant to the other herbs and spices enabling
them to work faster. Black pepper adds warmth to
the body. Cardamom stimulates the mind and gives
clarity. Fennel seed calms the digestive system.
Nutmeg adds a rich flavor to the blend. Other
spices include carob, vanilla and licorice;
although not in the traditional recipes.
Chai is an everyday
beverage for Indian and other Asian households.
It is sold wherever people gather, such as
trains, bus stations and marketplaces. The chai
vendors (wallahs) brew their tea in huge kettles
over small charcoal fires. The chai is served in
unglazed terra cotta pots or saucers called "kullarhs"
which the wallah may have actually made himself
over an open fire. The unglazed pots impart an
earthy flavor to the chai. Part of this "chai
ritual" involves smashing the pots after
drinking. Chai is always safe to drink in these
countries because the tea is always kept hot and
the serving pots are only used once.
Chai has been served in
the U.S. since the 1940's in Indian restaurants.
During the 1960's and 70's chai drinking became
more widespread as the interest in Eastern
religions and yoga developed and ashrams
(spiritual meeting places) appeared throughout
the country. It wasn't until the 1980's that
chai was served in cafes; first in Santa Cruz,
then Boulder, and on to Portland Oregon. Today
chai can be found just about everywhere but it's
not the same. Chances are you will not find a
traditionally brewed chai but rather one made
from a prepackaged concentrated liquid or from
an instant powder. Brewing your own chai is an
experience not to be missed although it may take
a few tries to find that "just right" flavor. It
allows you to tailor the blend to your
preference or mood, to sweeten or not, to use
soy-based milk, or use a different base tea such
as green or rooibus (a caffeine-free herbal
tea); plus you know it's fresh.
The techniques of
preparation and proportions of spices, tea,
sweetener and milk vary from region to region
and even among families. The family chai recipe
is handed down through the generations as a
family tradition. Some boil the tea, spices and
milk; some never boil. Boiling verses adding the
milk and spices to hot tea produces a different
taste and character to the finished chai. A few
points are always agreed on; cardamom is
necessary, if using ginger, use freshly grated,
the chai needs to be sweetened to bring out the
full flavor of the spices, and it's best to
grind your own fresh spices.
Here's a simple recipe to
start the inspiration.
2 cups water
2 cardamom pods or about 1/8 teaspoon seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
2 black peppercorns
2 teaspoons loose, black tea
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon peeled and sliced fresh ginger
Crush the spices with a
mortar and pestle or other method. Combine the
first 5 ingredients in a stainless steel or
nonstick saucepan and simmer over low heat for
10 minutes. Add the tea and simmer 5 minutes.
Stir in the milk and honey. When back to a
simmer, add the ginger. After one minute
strain the tea into cups.
With the evenings starting
to cool off, start experimenting (write it
down!). Close your eyes, relax, and let the
exotic flavors of chai take you away to some
foreign land; though you might not want to smash
your cup when it's empty.
