I would be glad to demonstrate this recipe to anyone on request. Attractive femes with curly hair are more than welcome to stop by my place for a demonstration.
For your distinct pleasure, here is Kamal S.’s authentic Chai. Better than the Tazo brand you probably drink, and quite good for moods of contemplation at home.
It is a mix of recipes, as learned from old friends of my father and from Hajji Sahib, an old Bengali sailor I met in London whose chief advice to me was:
“Kamal marry a small lady, like hens, you vant small hen yar, they lay many big eggs. You want many eggs no..”
Half-senile Bengali sailors may not offer the best love advice, but they do make damn-good tea.
You need an old beat up pot. Stainless steel or Aluminum.
Fill it 3/4 with Milk, high cream content (no skim milk, skim’s for sissies) or even half/half (much better). Fill it 1/4 with water.
Leave some room at the top of the pot to prevent boil-over.
** If you are vegan or allergic to milk I suppose that you can use Rice Milk. Soy Milk doesn’t taste as well with this.
Throw in about 4-6 tea bags. Lipton Yellow Label preferred (the imported stuff, not the dodgy crap Lipton sells to our Yankee markets. Al-Wazah brand tea also works well. Barring this, any English Breakfast black tea should work.
Put on the flame and let simmer.
Add a touch of Garam Masalla power, less than 1/4 a teaspoon (to taste)
Add a smaller touch of Chinese 5 Spice blend, about 1/8 a teaspoon
Add a touch of crushed Cardamon seeds, or break a few cardamon pods and throw them in.
Stir in liberal amounts of sugar – to taste of course. It depends on how sweet you want it..
Let it boil, the Chai is done when an actual film forms on the top, the film is milk protein, Casein , it must form on the top or else it’s not really done.
Turn the flame down, let the tea bags seep for a few more minutes, Filter out the solids, pour yourself and others a cup with a ladle or a dipping cup.
Enjoy, sip it while hot, add more sugar if necessary. If you like, put a lungi around your waist and a pagri around your head and listen to some Bollywood ghazals.. and enjoy your milk tea.
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