Page 77 - @ccess 2 Reader´s Book

In India, the ubiquitous specialty tea shops called amrutulyas
are on every street corner, in outdoor markets and at bus
and railway stations. Amrut means nectar and amrutulya
translates to “considered as good as amrut.” These specialty
shops offer many varieties of tea infusions. The most popular
however, are masala chai and special chai. Masala chai is
black tea brewed with fresh ginger root, milk, sugar, and the
eponymous chai masala or “blend of spices.” Chai masala,
similar to garam masala, is a formulation of spices that varies
based on traditional family recipes. It usually contains dried
ginger root, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns
ground into a fine powder and is added to brewing tea to
give it the rich aroma and delicate pungency that is uniquely
Indian. Special chai is tea made exclusively with full fat
milk, giving it a luxurious smoothness that should be a rare
indulgence. The crown jewel of the amrutulya is the special
chai-malai mar ke, which is a cup of special chai, garnished
with a dollop of heavy cream!

Indians love dunking crunchy cookies—referred to as
biscuits—in their tea. I often get distracted and lose whole
chunks of my biscuit in my cup of tea with a resounding
“plop.” Tea and biscuits before breakfast, mid-morning and
at tea time is the norm in most Indian households and is
often referred to as “chai-biscuit.” Savory snacks like pakoras,
potato chips, and samosas are also often served with tea.

Tea, a natural diuretic and appetite suppressant, is
consumed several times a day to stave off hunger between
meals and provide the body with anti-inflammatory and
healing spices that are blended to make chai masala. Fresh
ginger root aids digestion, prevents acid reflux, reduces joint
pain and even helps to lower blood pressure. In India, tea is
sometimes brewed with fresh herbs which have restorative
and medicinal attributes, like lemongrass, mint and holy
basil. My parents had a huge, sweet-scented bush of
lemongrass in their garden and often woke up to find whole

76 Reader's Book