Caffeine and I don’t get along so I never drink it in the States.
But the chai in India is another story. It’s so delicious, I drank it daily. Sometimes, I even drank it more than once in a day. So indulgent!
Recipe below makes two cups.
Ingredients
Buffalo milk, fresh
- 1.5 cups of buffalo milk. The milk should be fresh, milked from your buffalo that morning. I think this is the secret ingredient.
- one half cup of water.
- About a quarter of an inch of ginger.
- 1 teaspoon of chai tea (or to taste).
- Sugar to taste. Perhaps a spoonful per cup.
- Ground cardamom. A couple of pinches. Two pods worth should do it.
Directions
1. Pour the milk and water into a pot on the stove over medium heat.
2. Add a few teaspoons of chai tea. The brand used here was Tata, but apparently there are a lot of good brands.
Chai and buffalo milk
3. Grate in the ginger.
4. Smash the fresh cardamom (or use cardamom that is already ground) and add it as well.
5. When the milk boils, turn the heat off. Or you can just lower the heat and let it simmer for a bit longer. It depends on how long you can linger over your morning.
Boiling
6. Strain into a cup.
The pot had no handles, so my cousin’s wife is using a kitchen pincer to pour.
7. Drink with your people. I think the people you drink it with might also be a secret ingredient.
Acceptable deviations
- You can use cow’s milk if you don’t have your own buffalo. The taste is different and inferior though. I think this is why I never drink it in the States.
- You can skip the ginger or the cardamom or both. That idea makes me sad though.
Thanks for this. I’m a big fan of chai. Heading to Bangalore for work this coming weekend.
Have fun! Definitely drink the chai. 🙂
Cows are alright, bulls are pretty intense. What in the world is a water buffalo like? They seem strong.
I drink it daily…..only one cup but I drink…..it is a must in the evening …around 5pm…milk should not be diluted…that is key….we get cream milk packets here….tea is good even with that…
Some use cinnamon also in Tea…..there are various other varieties like lemon Tea, lemon ginger and honey tea, we get different ones at hill resorts around India…they have a 3-4 pages menu for only Tea… 🙂
Dang, I wish I had not sold my buffalo!
Isn’t that always how it goes?! You sell something and then need it the next week. Darn!
Thanks for the recipe! I think Carnation Evaporated Milk might work well with this too 🙂
I don’t think I’ve had that, but it sounds creamy and delicious.
Anita, If you go to South, you should try filter coffee, more delicious than Tea.