Next on my list is...
Chai
Chai translates to tea, but in India its not just a drink it's an experience.
Now let me back a track a little about me; I have never been a coffee drinker or tea drinker. Many North Americans can't start their day without caffine but it never appealed to me. I like the aroma and the taste and have indulged occasionally in one of the designer cups of coffee trying expresso in high school to fit in with the now crowd, sitting in the popular chains writing and fueling myself with one of their flavoured coffees and while I like them I didn't long for them and never wanted to it to become a habitual.
I have also and still do enjoy a cup of Green tea or any number of herbal teas but none have ever been a daily occurance.
When I first traveled to India I didn't indulge in the sweet fluid called chai, I had adopted a sattvic diet shortly after arriving and when my friend and I began touring around meeting locals she would secretly exchange her empty glass for my full one and finish it for me so I wouldn't look rude to our Indian hosts. In fact one day she ended up drinking about twelve cups of chai and was a bit strung out by the time we returned to our ashram! But that's what dear friends do for each other.
*refusing chai can be considered an insult to the Indian host
When I moved to India my husband insisted I drink chai stating its importance; many Indians feel it's a life sustaining fluid that should be drank a minimum of two times a day, one cup in the morning and one late afternoon and it is the cultural norm to fed it to children and babies alike.
We do vary it up from time to time for instance in the winter we add fresh cracked black pepper to bring some warmth to the body, throughout the year it is not uncommon to add a couple pieces of crushed cardamom (this is also great if you have an upset stomach) but my favorite is in the summer months when we pick fresh Tulsi leaves from our courtyard, Tulsi is renowned for its healing property and adds a light earthy taste and is great with or in place of the ginger.
Chai is a constant presence in India and stalls line the streets of our town and while I love home chai when we journey to a stall the wallahs are always excited to have us there and it adds another element to the chai experience!
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Chai
Chai translates to tea, but in India its not just a drink it's an experience.
Now let me back a track a little about me; I have never been a coffee drinker or tea drinker. Many North Americans can't start their day without caffine but it never appealed to me. I like the aroma and the taste and have indulged occasionally in one of the designer cups of coffee trying expresso in high school to fit in with the now crowd, sitting in the popular chains writing and fueling myself with one of their flavoured coffees and while I like them I didn't long for them and never wanted to it to become a habitual.
I have also and still do enjoy a cup of Green tea or any number of herbal teas but none have ever been a daily occurance.
When I first traveled to India I didn't indulge in the sweet fluid called chai, I had adopted a sattvic diet shortly after arriving and when my friend and I began touring around meeting locals she would secretly exchange her empty glass for my full one and finish it for me so I wouldn't look rude to our Indian hosts. In fact one day she ended up drinking about twelve cups of chai and was a bit strung out by the time we returned to our ashram! But that's what dear friends do for each other.*refusing chai can be considered an insult to the Indian host
When I moved to India my husband insisted I drink chai stating its importance; many Indians feel it's a life sustaining fluid that should be drank a minimum of two times a day, one cup in the morning and one late afternoon and it is the cultural norm to fed it to children and babies alike.
I resisted at first but when I made the move to India I also made a promise to myself that I would be up to fully adapting to Indian culture, well at least trying it on and what felt right I would keep, the rest would be discarded but that is a whole other series!
I fell in love with our morning ritual of quietly sipping the sugary yet spicy liquid, some days it would be served as "bed tea" other days we'd sit on the rooftop and shortly after moving into our families joint home preparing morning chai for my husband and in laws became my first official duty. To this day five years later I still wake before my family and prepare chai not because it is a "duty" anymore but because I love to do it. It's a special time for family and friends to come together and connect, words don't even have to be spoken.
Here in India chai flavor tends to be a little more simple than in the west. Our family recipe is simple we bring a bit of water to a boil, add loose tea, then add fresh crushed ginger, after this to has boiled we add sugar then milk, After the milk has been added a total of three boils should take place to prepare the perfect cup of chai.
We do vary it up from time to time for instance in the winter we add fresh cracked black pepper to bring some warmth to the body, throughout the year it is not uncommon to add a couple pieces of crushed cardamom (this is also great if you have an upset stomach) but my favorite is in the summer months when we pick fresh Tulsi leaves from our courtyard, Tulsi is renowned for its healing property and adds a light earthy taste and is great with or in place of the ginger.Chai is a constant presence in India and stalls line the streets of our town and while I love home chai when we journey to a stall the wallahs are always excited to have us there and it adds another element to the chai experience!
2 comments:
I'm not a fan of chai and my husband has mostly stopped it after starting yoga intently.
But, when he does have it, he adds the leaves last and shuts off the gas and strains almost immediately. With each maid we had in India, I had to show them the "right" way to make it for him (and with no or little sugar)... He likes "raw" chai to them कच्चा (katchha in marathi). Even when I do drink it, I prefer it that way as well.
I'm still a coffee girl, even after 2 years of drinking instant! Now that I'm back in the States, I'm having filtered coffee, black :)
Hahaha, yes raw chai, so funny, I too don't love the amount of sugar my hubby prefers
You must be so happy to have good coffee again, I know those who love it, can really appreciate it! Everyone here always offers coffee to me assuming b/c I'm a westerner I like it, yesterday my Mom said yes excitedly, I laughed at her as she chocked it down :)
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