One of the best teas you will have is made by the road side in small tea stalls in India! These stalls are called tapri. It is a hangout place for college students, a place to get a break for office goers, or if you are like me, a place to just savor the me moments. On one of our trips to Shirdi in India, my husband and I were wandering on the streets on a cold night. My eyes lit up as soon as I saw a chaiwala. Watching him make tea was no less amusing. I watched carefully as he brought the tea mixture to a boil in a wide kadai, adding cans of condensed milk to it along with freshly grated ginger. He then poured the tea in smaller containers. As if doing a magic trick, he swung one of his containers in the air, catching the pipping hot liquid with the other. The aroma of the tea was inviting and I had to get a sip! I remember liking the first cup so much, I looked at the chaiwala with puppy eyes and said, “Bhaiya thoda aur do na!” It didn’t cross my mind to buy another cup. I laugh when I think back about this incident. He probably thought I was crazy because who does that! He just smiled and refilled my cup. Here is my attempt to replicate that chaiwala’s tea for those cold nights when I crave it!
What you will need:
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Condensed Milk | 5 tablespoons |
| Ginger | 1 ounce |
| Tea Powder | 2 teaspoons |
| Water | 1 1/2 cup |
How to make it:
- In a pan take water and tea powder.
- Crush the ginger in a mortar and pestle. Add freshly crushed ginger to the tea water. Bring this to a boil.
- To this boiling mixture, add the condensed milk. Bring this entire mixture to a boil.
- Once the tea comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Let it come to a boil again. Stir and let the tea boil for approximately 1.5 minutes.
- Strain the tea in a cup. Enjoy hot!