Truth time: I am coming back from India early to spend New Years’ with my boyfriend’s (entire) family. It’s also the first time I’m meeting them (gulp). While arriving to their house with fresh Indian sweets and a smile makes a great first impression, there is a key test that every potential Indian daughter-in-law must face: the coffee/chai test.
One of my Twitter pals is in the same predicament as me. And instead of attempting to fit instructions for the perfect coffee and chai in 140 characters, I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and blog the recipe. (Hint, hint, potential Indian sons-in-law, this will win over your girl’s parents in a FLASH).
Chai: a concrete fixture in the hands of guests in an Indian household, no matter where you are. Mastering the chai is a must, period. Because if it’s not your family asking for it, it’s your friends who are sick of the Starbucks variety (though it is pretty good) and want the real stuff.
There are many ways of making chai, but this is how our family makes it. And it’s damn good. And damn easy. This is what you need:
- Milk (3/4 cup per person). If you’re using skim milk, don’t add water.
- Some water. 1/3 water and 2/3 milk is a good ratio to work with if you’re using milk with fat in it.
- Tea (leaves are best, 1 tsp per person or 1 bag per two people. If you’re going to use bags, go for Darjeeling)
- SUGAR (lots. Use the real stuff, no Splenda/Stevia/Sweet ‘N Low. I use 2-3 teaspoons per person)
- Ginger (teaspoon of grated ginger for about two people)
- A stick of cinnamon. Powder is not recommended.
Here’s how to make it:
- Mix all the ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Upon boiling for a couple of minutes, remove from heat and let it sit, pot covered.
- Use a strainer to remove the tea leaves, other ingredients, and the icky skin that inevitably forms on boiling milk as you pour the tea into the cups.
- Serve with proper digestive biscuits or spicy mixture. You want to make a good impression, after all, and chai alone won’t cut it.
Coffee: Proper Indian filter coffee requires special equipment. You can achieve the taste using your regular coffeemaker or using instant coffee. The only things you need are milk, coffee (instant powder or coffee from a coffeemaker), and sugar.
If you’re using a coffeemaker or French press, make sure you use high-quality coffee (Dunkin Donuts French Roast is surprisingly good in Indian coffee). Four scoops of coffee powder per 1 cup of water. You’ll only be using about 1/4 cup of coffee per person.
If you’re using instant coffee powder, keep reading.
- Bring the milk to a boil (either in a large Pyrex in your microwave or on the stovetop)
- Mix the coffee (either 1/4 cup of coffee liquid per instructions above, or 1.5 teaspoons of instant coffee) and sugar (1-2 teaspoons per cup, ask ahead how much sugar they take) with the hot milk. Stir.
- If you want to really impress them, pour the coffee from the mug into another mug or spouted Pyrex as fast as you safely can to make a foamy layer on top of the coffee (my parents call it the Indian cappuccino).
Now if you can manage doing this while wearing a sari, my hats off to you.
