What Is Chai and How to Make It
Chai is a way of life in India. Almost everywhere you go—in trains, on streets, in sari shops—you will see people gulping down the sweet, spicy, milky beverage.
In America, “chai” has become known as a flavor of tea with predominantly cinnamon or cardamom notes. But in India, chai is not a flavor of tea; it is tea—chai literally translates to “tea” in Hindi, so when you are saying “chai tea,” you are basically saying, “tea tea.” What we think of in America as this highly specialized beverage is, in India, simply the standard way of preparing tea.
Chai culture in India developed out of British colonization. During this time, the British East India Company was thriving, with tea from Assam, India being one of its biggest commodities. Tea consumption in India grew, and eventually, Indians took the British preparation of tea—black with milk and sugar—and put their own spin on it, with the addition of spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
Nowadays, India is not only one of the largest producers of tea in the world, but also one of the biggest consumers of it. In most big cities, you’ll find chaiwallas (vendors who specifically sell chai) on every corner, with their enormous steel pots or kettles full of simmering chai. If you go to someone’s house in India, there is a 100 percent chance of chai being served. There are regional variations, too: in Kashmir, people will sometimes use green tea instead of black tea, and almonds are often added. In Bhopal, chai might have a pinch of salt in it.
For the most part, however, the basic components of chai are the same: tea, milk, spices, and sweetener. I turned to Anju Sharma, the chef/owner of the very excellent Indian restaurant, Amma, in New York to show me the ropes on how to make a great cup of chai. Also included in my expert panel: my mother, Ritu Krishna—a formidable chai maker all her own.
What is Chai?
The Tea
With a few exceptions, the base of chai is a black tea. There are many variations of black tea, but Assam is the most common in chai, as it has a strong, full-bodied flavor. Some people will get fancy and use a mixture of teas—my mother combines Assam and Darjeeling tea in her chai because the former imparts “color and body,” and the latter imparts “aroma and flavor,” she says.
The Milk
Chai almost always includes milk, and that milk is usually whole. Sharma says whole milk is the best way to bring out the richness in all the spices. Conclusion: whole milk or bust.
The Spices
Chai can include a number of different spices. Cardamom is the most common ingredient, followed by some mixture of cinnamon, ginger, star anise and cloves. Pepper, coriander, nutmeg and fennel are also used, but they are slightly less common. Every family has a blend to suit its tastes. Sharma’s version, for example, includes cinnamon, clove, fennel seed, and ginger, while my mother’s version (somewhat unconventionally) only includes cardamom.
A tip from my mom: fresh spices make the best chai. Always try and start with the purest version of each spice—like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and cardamom pods.
The Sweetener
Plain white sugar is the most common sweetener for chai. Jaggery, or unrefined cane sugar, is also used, due to its concentrated sweet flavor, but it’s harder to find in America. Chai typically involves a bit more sugar than you might be used to adding; my mother uses at least a heaping teaspoon of sugar in each cup of chai to get the fullest flavor out of the spices.
Chai Pairings
When I was little, it took me some time to warm up to all the different spices in chai. But I did instantly love the snacks served with chai. These are a combination of sweet and spicy treats, often fried, and meant to be dipped. These snacks include…
To make these brightly-flavored, vegetarian samosas, mash the peas, but not too finely; you want little pieces, for texture. You can make your own buttery dough, but frozen empanada wrappers, widely available in supermarkets, are an excellent substitute.
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India
Ingredients:
1 tbsp Chai (Black Tea) 1 tbsp Sugar or as per taste 1 cup water 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp of roughly ground spices such as Cardamom, nutmeg, cinammon, cloves)
Fresh herbs if available such as Holly Basil -Tulsi, Mint-pudina, and Chai patti)
1/4 tsp Grated Ginger
PAKISTAN
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Chai recipe
Ingredients
- 4cm/1½in cinnamon stick
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 250ml/9fl oz full-fat milk
- 2.5cm/1in fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 strong tea black bags
- 3 tsp caster sugar
Method
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