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Tag: tea (page 1 of 2)

A Small Miracle (Really?)

Spelt Cardamom Biscuit

Spelt Cardamom Biscuit + Chai

Almost every friend of mine knows about the deep and abiding love I have for my cup of chai. I even wrote a post about Indian monsoon and chai, complete with a step-wise recipe, pictures, etc.

I like chai the way I make it. So, I am not an addict because it needs to be made very specifically, else I can pass on it. I like my cup of chai made with cow’s milk, two tiny spoons worth of turbinado sugar, grated fresh ginger (organic, Peruvian), fresh mint, tea masala. Not meaning to sound like a snob at all, but a little care and fancy ingredients go a long way when it comes to brewing the perfect sweet, spicy and warm cuppa. Ahh, I am a bad “tea snob” because I didn’t even mention the brand of tea I use. It is Wagh Bakri (translated as “Lion Goat”). Wonder what the logic behind the name is. You can find Wagh Bakri tea in Indian homes and grocery stores.

I loved, loved, loved my evening cup of chai so darned much that I’d morph into an impatient driver each evening as I drove home from work. I’d avoid making a stop anywhere, for anything. The only one thing in my mind was chai. It wasn’t as desperate as I am making it out to be, but I am somewhat close. Not lying at all.

You see, it wasn’t about the chai entirely. It was about the warm, spicy and sweet interplay of flavors. It was about my favorite books lying around the breakfast table that accompanied my quiet time. It was about looking out the window at our wild and lovely backyard, savoring the sunlight streaming in, drinking in my moment of zen (and also the moment I inwardly thanked our childless state).

Lately, I had been wondering if dairy consumption was linked with arthritis and other joint issues. There is published research that supports this viewpoint. I suffer from “creaky” joints, and I feared if they were a precursor to some sort of arthritis. I loved my chai so much; I could give up all dairy if I could stick to that one cup a day. But my doctor suggested that I do a little experiment to verify the facts: Stay off dairy for three months.

So I steeled myself to remove dairy from my life. Cue “mournful expression.”

Well, I am here to tell you that it has been very painless thus far. I have begun making chai with coconut milk, and it works. For me, it does. I haven’t been missing my kind of chai at all. It’s been about ten days, and I think this experiment is going swimmingly well.

What does this mean? Well, if I have the opportunity to partake of a stellar cup of chai (Mumbai Masala, Global Mall does it my style), I will take advantage of it. As for desserts, I am going to play it by ear. Desserts don’t feature often in my life, and if/when a particularly good one comes along, I might indulge myself.

For me, the biggest miracle (my husband doesn’t think it’s anything big) is freeing myself, or realizing that I was always free, of my love (bondage) for chai.

I am free. Perhaps, I always was.

A Cozy Afternoon at Roswell Tea House

A Thursday afternoon found me driving to Roswell Tea House (and losing my way multiple times en route, thanks to a mysterious and invisible street called Old Coleman Rd) to meet with R and her sister. I fell in love with the space instantly. Resembling a home converted into a little cafe, Roswell Tea House has a cozy presence, one that invites you to kick off your shoes, lean back into your chair and yawn languorously.

Roswell Tea House

Roswell Tea House

I perused the menu closely and decided to pick a bowl of the organic Carrot Ginger Soup and the Thai Coconut Rice Bowl with spinach, lentils and edamame. R and her sister opted to share the Vol-Au-Vent and an order of the Carrot Ginger Soup.

The food came quick. The Carrot Ginger Soup was a little too sharp for my taste. I wished that it had some sweet notes to round off the piquant ginger. The Thai Coconut Rice Bowl was a creamy delight featuring jasmine rice, coconut cream, lentils, spinach and edamame. The chef was a little too liberal with the edamame, I thought. Can’t recall tasting the lentils, or maybe I just don’t remember so well now. The rice bowl was perfectly portioned; a little larger and I would have had to ask for a to-go box.

Thai Rice Bowl/Carrot Ginger Soup

Thai Rice Bowl/Carrot Ginger Soup

Couldn’t pass up dessert, could we? After much deliberation, we opted to share the Belgian Chocolate Fondue with Summer Fruit and the Lavender Creme Brulee. That little bowl of chocolate packed a rich and decadent punch… gasp! Three of us put together were no match for its chocolate “strength” and we had to regretfully let the half-full bowl go… Sigh. The Lavender Creme Brulee was exquisite but I think we couldn’t clean up that serving either. No vegan desserts on the menu although there are a few with “GF” next to them. In fact, there is just one other vegetarian item on the menu. Hope that changes soon.

Desserts

Desserts

Roswell Tea House
108 Magnolia Street, Historic Roswell GA 30075
770-643-5813
www.roswellteahouse.net

 

My Cozy-Time Reading

There is a certain ritual I indulge in at mid-day, every day. Actually, it takes place around 4pm. I boil a cup of water in a steel saucepan, add a teaspoon or so of sugar to it, then a smidgen of chai tea masala, some fresh mint leaves and grated fresh ginger. As the water begins to boil, I add a teeny bit of black tea powder, then some milk. As the tea lightens in color and little ripples appear on the surface, I turn off the heat, place a steel lid over the pan and allow the tea to rest. In the interim, I open the pantry door, take out my favorite fried snack (Khatta Meetha mix), a few pieces of Math or Bajri Khakra, and place them all in a small bowl. I sieve the tea into my little IKEA cup, take the cup-n-saucer over to the breakfast table where my bowl of snacks sits, draw up my favorite oft-read book, sip and munch and read alongside.

Cozy Time Books

Cozy Time Books

These are my few minutes of bliss. It is my favorite time of the day, the little period of quiet when no questions intrude. No thoughts of dinner or life or career or relationships are entertained. I love the sharp tang of ginger as it makes its searing way down my throat. I love how it intersects with the cool mint and the fiery chai tea masala. I love how hot the tea is, temperature-wise and taste-wise. I love the crunch of the Khakra, the sweet-sour notes of the Khatta Meetha mix. I love my old books – James Herriot, Ruskin Bond. I love that my books date back to a life and time that have long passed the world by but I can savor those days during these sweet moments, 4pm every day. I don’t seek anything to stimulate my intellect, only that which can soothe and nourish it. In fact, there are only a few books that can do the job. James Herriot’s animal tales are sweet in their sensitivity, innocence and compassion. Ruskin Bond’s stories of Mussourie are hopelessly hopeful, full of loving sentiment and good cheer and beauty. I don’t seek much else during my tea time. I don’t ask to be supercharged or revved up.

I love the coziness of it all.

What are your favorite cozy-time books?

Monsoon and Hot Chai

A Canadian friend of mine remarked, “Indians seem to be very fond of the rains.” I had to agree. Yes, we love our rains. For a country that is scorched by incredibly hot summers, monsoon is a welcome respite. Monsoon and the rains have been immortalized in classical poetry, music, art and literature since centuries. Bollywood has not been behind in adoring the rains as well. There are a million film songs shot in pouring rain (or a sprinkler!). An old classic is “Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua” from Raj Kapoor’s classic ‘Shree 420’ starring Nargis Dutt, Nadira and a host of other stars.

Another more recent “rain song” is a raunchy number “Tip tip barsa pani,” starring the gorgeous Raveena Tandon and hunky Akshay Kumar. The couple sizzles on the screen and the song is hummable too. I am positive the video is out there on YouTube delighting adolescent males everywhere because really, I doubt if that song was meant for any other demographic!

Ok, back to the rains. For so many Indians, a rainy evening implies chai-pakoda! Chai is tea and pakodas are dumplings fried in a batter of chickpea flour ((for want of a better description), spices, salt. Onion pakoras are a hot favorite. All you do is make the batter, dip onion rings in it, drop them into hot oil, fish them out (when done), drain the oil, and dig in. You can do the same using thinly sliced potatoes. In South India, we make bondas. These are essentially cooked and mashed potatoes, made into balls, with salt-spices-cilantro added in. As with onion rings, they get the hot-oil treatment and emerge, shiny and crisp.

Wish I could share some pictures! But I haven’t made these in ages. So I direct you to Kamran’s beautiful website with his pakora recipe and pictures.

But chai? That I can tell you more about!

I would think that each community in India has its favorite drink. I know that in South India, filter coffee enjoys much loyalty. Of course, over the last many years, convenience has made these loyalists to shift to instant coffee. I have fond memories of my Mom’s fabulous coffee served on Sunday mornings replete with a breakfast of idli-chutney and the Sunday papers. The Gujarati community enjoys its tea with masala, sometimes ginger. I make mine with masala (ground with the patient love and skill by my mother-in-law), fresh mint leaves (plucked from my backyard with my own loving hands!), sugar and milk.

Story in pictures (no, they aren’t in order!):

Here are the simple instructions (for a single cup of tea).
1. Boil 1/3 cup of water. Add sugar (to taste), chopped mint leaves, a pinch or two of the masala.
2. As the water boils, add a teaspoon of chai. I use the Lipton brand commonly found in Indian grocery stores.
3. Add milk to taste. I like my tea fairly milky and well-boiled. But this is not everyone’s cup of tea (pun intended). Some people like it with less milk and less-boiled too.

What can I say, I like my style of cuppa the best. As I take the first sip in, I realize why it feels so special. I enjoy tea but really, it has to be done my way… 🙂

Head over to Archana Srinivas’s lovely blog A Cup of Chai for some exquisite pictures of more cups of tea!