Decoding Shilpa Shetty’s Love For Chai And Rumi

Actor Shilpa Shetty is inarguably one of the biggest fitness icons of the country right now. She has been the pioneer of healthy eating and has been very vocal against fad diets. The avid practitioner of Yoga is very desi when it comes to her food choices, and her daily meals comprise a healthy mix of lentils, vegetables, roti, salad, and rice. And like every desi, her heart also beats for a good cup of chai, as is evident in her latest Instagram story which she captioned “Mornings #chai”. 

In the story, Shilpa is holding a cup of tea in her house, and the boomerang gives us a clear view of the lovely quote by Rumi written inside the cup that reads, “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder,” Rumi. Now, isn’t that quite the motivation you were looking for today?  

Well, we sure are just in the right mood to keep calm and sip on our masala chai today. Chai, which has been an intrinsic part of every desi household, is basically a beverage brewed with tea leaves, milk, water and sugar. Occasionally, spices such as cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger are added to make it more flavourful, and this concoction is called Masala Chai. While it has been an ancient practice to boil water with various spices for healing beverages as Kadha, but after the British popularised tea in India, tea leaves also found its way to the spicy medley and we got our beloved masala chai.  

  1. While brewing masala chai, here are some tips you would like to keep in mind.  
  2. Store-bought ‘chai ka masala’ is good, but nothing really beats the goodness of homemade masalas. So, get your mortar and pestle, and start grinding. Make sure the ginger you use is fresh.
  3. Then take some green cardamom and grind it together, remove the green shells, at this point your masala should become aromatic.
  4. If you want your chai to be more flavourful, you can also grind some black peppercorns and cinnamon.  
  5. Heat the water, add masalas and bring it to boil.
  6. Once the water is boiling add loose tea and then simmer again.
  7. Finally, add milk, simmer again for a few minutes and your masala chai is ready.

Here’s a delish recipe you can try at home. Do let us know how you like it.