Musings on Masala Chai

You might have gotten acquainted with the beverage at Starbucks, a box of Equal Exchange’s fine blend, or drank it as a perfect end to a great feast at Shanti. Whether from boxed concentrate or brewed from a bag, it’s delicious.

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‘Chai,’ originating from the Chinese word for tea, has diffused across several languages. Traditionally, leaves were grown and dried in South Asia for their Ayverdic medicinal properties.

But things really got brewing on the  subcontinent around the year 1900 when the British wanted to break the Chinese monopoly on the drink, and grew it extensively in their Indian colony.

all the players in an authentic cup. Image credit mooji.org

The real stuff isn’t made from a bag or box, but comes from a decoction of all the ingredients in a pot of water. Chai gullahs sell their own special brews, and Indian households have their own mix of cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper. The difference in quality has to be tasted to be believed.

And now you’ll have your chance to do so. Once again, Chef Andy is showing us how take a culinary favorite back to our own kitchens in the second installment of the Cooking Class series. I can’t wait because, like the high tea time that’s enjoyed in India, attendees will get to enjoy pakoras and samosas along with their homemade beverage.

Steep yourself in more tea facts across the web and bookstores:

http://www.chai-tea.org/whatisit.html

Going beyond garam masala: Spice it Up Class

We kicked off our cooking lesson series with Spice it Up, a class on adding authentic flavors to your favorite Indian dishes. Chef Andy put on a show, with five small plate courses to sample. Each dish was delicious as the last.

The spices were the stars, from the mustard seeds that make the simple dal soup sing, to the cumin seeds that add robust complexity to paneer aloo tikki.

You might only be acquainted with turmeric from having it in your mustard. But the yellow powder is a foundation of South Asian seasoning as well as Ayurvedic folk medicine.

Coriander seeds tie simple chicken, tomatoes, and cream into pure decadence. The dish is called murgh kadai, and the diners agreed that they’ll make it again and again at home.

Tikka masala sauce is popular in Indian restaurants. The secret to making it taste as good at home as it does at Shanti? Fenugreek seeds.

Next time we’re unlocking the secrets to perfect chai tea, just in time to warm you up for the holidays!