E for Elaichi wali Chai ! Straight from the street kittli . Chai or tea as popularly known is a addictive hot drink and there will be just a handful who do not drink this . Among those handfuls I am included . Somehow I have never tasted tea . As a kid mom never gave us tea and after I grew older I never really tried it . People wonder how my day begins, but really I have never felt the need.

So how is it that I am posting a tea recipe ? Well this post is dedicated for all tea lovers , specially my younger daughter who is such big tea fan . A good Elaichi wali Chai is what she loves and wants first thing … no let me correct that .. anytime of the day .

Gujarat is very very popular for tea and we have Kitlis at every nook and corner . Kitlis are small time tea vendors , they have a small stall where they make tea throughout the day . They have jars filled with local biscuits , rusks and tit bits like khakhra which is a great accompaniment with Chai. Gujrat is popular for its cutting chai . Wonder if you have ever heard of this cutting chai? Cutting is when the chai glass is divided into two or three .. you see they are cutting the tea ! Lol !

Then we have bigger stalls , where they serve Rajwadu Chai . This is made with full fat milk which has chai masala . This tea is boiled very well and is quite heavy.

Now that I am writing about chai and Exploring the Flavors , I realise I can give you at least 5-6 types of the street chai’s of Gujrat and Gujju’s love their tea.I Will definitely write different posts on these .In the meantime do check this Elaichi Chai Cake with White Chocolate and Pistachio and Earl Grey Tea Cakes.

For today I have a tea which is flavoured with cardamom or Elaichi as we call it in India . Cardamoms have umpteen benefits . They are used to enhance the flavour in various sweets , desserts . It helps in digestion, reduces gas , acts as a mouth fresher . A tea with some roughly pounded cardamoms fills the house with a beautiful aroma .

These days we see so many varieties of tea , it is hard to choose . There are so many brands to choose from ,but we use Gujarat’s Vagh Bakri Chai . The water and milk ratio varies from a person to person , the sugar too varies and personally I feel it is the most tough thing to make . Here is how I made the chai and my niece Juhi loved it , she loved that aroma of cardamom and the earthen pot in which it was served . A sprig of mint gives it a wonderful aroma .

Elaichi Wali Chai

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
2/3rd cup milk (you can use skimmed milk)
2-3 pods green cardamom seeds
2 tsps sugar
2 heaped tsps loose tea leaves

Method

Place water in a pot , boil it .
Add tea leaves and pounded cardamom .
Let the tea brew a couple of minutes .
Add sugar and milk .
Let boil for another two minutes .
Switch off the flame and cover the pot for a minute .
Strain the tea in earthen pots or in your favourite cup .
You could add a sprig of mint for extra flavour .

Here is what I have been posting under Explore the Flavors

A – Agre ka Bhalla

B – Bhungra Bateta

C – Chole Chawal

D – Dahi Wada Aaloo Dum

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