Share
If you love chai more than anything else, chances are, that you’ll always be excited by the different varieties of tea. While some enjoy a simple black tea and some prefer green tea, others just love the aroma of the one brimming with different spices and milk. If you are one of those who love to take a chuski of masala chai every now and then, we are pretty sure you would drool over Tandoori chai as well. And there can’t be a better time than the monsoon season to give it a try (if you haven’t already). As the pitter-patter of raindrops knock at your window, brew a cup of tandoori chai, pair it with piping hot pakodas and enjoy the season as long as it lasts. Sounds like a plan? Here’s how you can make it at home, without a tandoor.
What Is Tandoori Chai?
If you are a fan of tandoori paneer or tandoori chicken, you may be aware of the process by which they are prepared. The word ‘Tandoori’ referes to the process of cooking anything in a tandoor - a cylindrical clay or metal oven that is dug up deep in the land. Traditionally, meat chunks or vegetables are cooked over skewers with coal in it. The idea behind tandoori chai is quite the same but if this makes you think that it requires a huge tandoor - wait till we tell you the recipe.
Tandoori chai has made its way to the food enthusiasts, especially tea lovers, quite quickly after it got the buzz from a tea shop based in Pune, called 'Chai La,' serving this unique concoction. Its quirky preparation style made it an instant trend, wherein an empty kulhad or clay pot is pre-heated in tandoor and then half cooked tea is poured in it. It eventually gets fully brewed.
How To Make Tandoori Chai At Home
The process of making tandoori chai at home is quite simple. You would need a kulhad/earthen pot to make it at home. Make sure you make tea a little extra from the amount you need as the process will spill a little. The preparation lends a very unique, earthy flavour to tea, along with a smoky taste that will surely refresh you after a tiring day.
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp chai masala powder
1 tsp tea
2 tsp sugar
1 clay mug/earthen pot/kulhad
Method
1. First make regular tea by heating water in a pan.
2. Add tea, sugar, chai masala and bring the water to a boil.
3. Now add milk and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes on low flame.
4. Strain the tea in a glass and keep aside.
5. For tandoori chai, heat a clay mug directly on flame until very hot. Keep rotating the mug while heating.
6. Now keep the hot mug in a pan. Pour the tea from the glass in the hot mug.
7. Let the tea bubble in the clay pot and ooze out for a minute.
8. Now pour it in another clean kulhad and serve hot.
