Would you like a Chai?

It’s the invitation everyone loves to hear when travelling round India, whether in a city or in the countryside! You’ll find a Chai wallah on every street corner in India. Here you can see some beautiful portraits taken for us by Alexandre Sattler of these travelling tea sellers preparing their recipe for chai, a sweet black tea with spices and milk. It’s a treat that no one turns their nose up at and everyone shares, regardless of their social standing. Let’s have a look at this mix of seasonal spices served with flair.

In Indian Ayurvedic tradition, masala is composed exclusively of spices – cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cloves and cardamom, to be precise. A blend which is supposed to awaken the senses and warm the body while freeing the mind. That’s why we have chosen to bring you the Masala Chai so you can make it which ever way you like and mix it with whatever you want! But in India, it’s usually brewed with tea, preferably black tea from Assam, with a powerful enough taste for its flavourings to come through in harmony with the spices. Though in Kashmir, they prefer it with a type of gunpowder green tea.

At Les Jardins de Gaïa, we particularly like the traditional Indian recipe, but in our view, the variations we have made deserve a place in other snacks and slow-cooked dishes this season!

Recipe for chai (traditional Indian tea)

Put a tablespoon of masala in a litre of cold water (or 2 tablespoons for a stronger infusion). Heat and simmer over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and add 1/4 litre of milk (cows, soya, rice, almond…). Sweeten to taste and reheat quickly before serving.
Option: Before straining the spices add a teaspoon of black tea or rooibos and leave to infuse for five minutes.

Recipe for mulled wine (or warm fruit juice)

Put a heaped tablespoon of Masala Chai per bottle of wine (75 cl) or litre of fruit juice. Warm on a low heat without allowing the mixture to boil. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes, strain and sweeten. Add star anise, lemon, orange or vanilla according to taste…

For use in cooking

Masala Chai is a blend of spices that will go perfectly with your rice, pasta, and semolina dishes and your meaty casseroles or stews. Simply add 1 tablespoon wrapped in muslin or in a floating filter for each litre of water, and enjoy it!

Tell us how you like your masala.

Thanks to Alexandre Sattler for his beautiful photos, if you like them, check out all of his photos, videos and other pictures from around the world on his Gaia images website!