A blend of crushed and whole spices to make the wonderful spicy Indian tea. Chai is the classic drink of India, the fuel that at times seems to keep the entire population going but it has an interesting history and in many ways is a great example of a ‘fusion’ of culinary styles - the unexpected result of a British campaign to persuade Indians to drink tea! Before the arrival of the British, very few people in India drank tea – although some tea plants are native to Assam, the tea that people used to make a drink was native to China and was only introduced to the subcontinent by the British who also taught the locals to favour taking this new beverage with milk and sugar. Initially reluctant to try this new drink, over time the Indians began to add their own twist by flavouring the tea with native ingredients such as cardamon, cinnamon and pepper and adding more sugar to make a sweet, spicy infusion that is now finding huge popularity around the world.

method: (per person)
Fill your mug (standard size - about 300ml) with cold water and pour this into a small pan with one teabag, one teaspoon of sugar and one level teaspoon of the chai spices. Bring the mix to the boil, stir then turn down the heat and add 80ml (about 1/4 of a mug) of milk – full-cream is best. Simmer together for 5 minutes. To serve the tea just strain through a sieve into cups or mugs and add more sugar to taste.

You will find that the crucial ingredients for the best chai are time - the longer you brew the mix, the better and sugar - it seems as if a bit of extra sweetness really enhances the spices so even if you wouldn't normally add sugar to your tea, make an exception for a truly exceptional cup of chai!

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