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I drink a lot of tea. I’m thinking it has to do with being an Indian girl and growing up in a house where tea is served on average 3 times a day. Indian tea is called “chai”, or “cha” if you’re Punjabi like me. When I was in India at the start of 2008 it became clear to me that “cha” is not just a beverage, it’s a ritual. It’s a multi step process and every household has a slightly different take on how it should be made. There are several ingredients in a good cup of “cha” and I thought I’d share a very basic recipe with you.

Cha
3 cups water
1/2 tbs anise seed
3 or 4 cloves
3 or 4 cardamom pods
a dash of cinnamon
1 tbs loose black tea leaves
whole milk
sugar or honey to taste

Put 3 cups water in a pot and bring it to a boil. While the water is heating add the anise seed. Crush cloves & cardamon using a mortar and pestle or back of a big spoon. Add it to the boil. The water should turn a golden brown. Add a couple dashes of cinnamon. Let this boil for a couple minutes then add the tea leaves. Bring this to a boil for 2 more minutes. The chai should have a dark translucent look. Add milk and let it boil till the tea is slightly frothy from the boil. Strain it into a pot or cup and add sugar or honey to taste.

All these ingredient amounts can be increased or decreased. Again, this is a very simple and basic recipe. I took a cooking class while I was in India and one of my favorite things to learn was chai. The recipe was more complicated than the one I’ve shared. When I find that recipe I’ll post it here too.