Some evenings call for tea. Not a fancy drink, not something that needs ten ingredients, just a hot cup of chai while you sit down for a bit. And then there are evenings when the usual chai feels a little boring. That’s when adding one or two things from the spice box can make a difference. Here are three versions you can try without making your kitchen look like a cooking show.
1. Cardamom Chai
In case you love the aroma of cardamom, then you definitely will relish this tea too. Take two or three cardamom pods and crush them using the spoon’s flat end. Add society tea to the water and let it sit for some time. Add milk and sugar according to your preference and mix everything over low heat. You don’t need loads of cardamom. Too much can actually make the tea taste oddly medicinal. One extra pod is enough if you want a stronger flavour.
2. Ginger Masala Chai
This is the type of chai that you would need to prepare if you want to brew something with a bit of spunk. You will need to grate some ginger and put it into the water. Once it starts bubbling, put the tea into it along with the milk. For your masala, you may want to think about adding some crushed cardamom seeds, some cinnamon sticks, and two cloves. This is sufficient. Let it simmer, strain and add sugar. It’s annoying to start making masala chai and discover you have everything except the masala.
3. Saffron Chai
Making saffron chai is far from being as difficult as it may seem at first. Simply steep some saffron in warm milk for five to ten minutes, and then proceed to make your tea using water and the rest of the milk. Stir in the saffron mixture towards the end and sweeten it to your liking. A little crushed cardamom works here too, but don’t go overboard. You want to notice the saffron rather than lose it completely.
Keep The Spice Box Ready
You don’t need to buy a cupboard full of ingredients just for three cups of chai. Keep a small supply of cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and saffron at home and you can mix and match depending on what you fancy. If you’re shopping groceries online, these are easy things to add to your regular list along with your usual tea and milk.
Change It Depending On Your Mood
Recipes are useful, but you don’t have to treat them like rules. Maybe you love ginger and want twice as much. Perhaps you hate cloves and would rather leave them out completely. Society tea gives you the tea base, and the rest is really about finding the combination that tastes good to you.
And if none of these sound appealing tonight, there’s always plain chai. No shame in that. Sometimes you just want your usual cup, exactly the way you make it every day.
