Chai high

Jul 17, 2006

Last week, I stopped into Spice & Curry (the market side) to pick up a coconut—this shop consistently has the best coconuts, perfectly sweet and with good water inside—and on my way through the store, I noticed a shelf with boxes of Lipton tea.

I’ve been searching for a good source of Darjeeling tea to use in the chai recipe (see below) I enjoy so much, and I was quite happy to find a 250-gram box of Lipton Green Label premium quality Darjeeling leaf—and for just $2.99. That’s quite a bargain, considering the last bit of Darjeeling tea I bought was about twenty-five times that price. This Lipton tea is good, and just right for my chai:

Masala Chai (recipe from Saveur Magazine, though not online)

Crush 1 cinnamon stick, 6 black peppercorn, 6 whole cloves, 3 cardamom pods. In medium saucepan, add spices and 2 1/4-inch-thick slices of ginger to 3 cups water 1 cup milk. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover, set aside for 5 minutes. Add 5 tbsp. loose Darjeeling tea and 4-5 tbsp. sugar, cover and let steep 3 minutes. Strain and serve.

Enjoy.

Anton Zuiker ☄