Recette de chai

The fog outside Suzy's kitchen window, a delicate shield, cut out the late October sun. She was making chai. The tempo of this Saturday morning ritual was much to her liking. She measured milk and water into a large pot, followed by the greenish black leaves of exquisite black tea, one level teaspoon per cup, then sprinkled in whole spices, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. For added lift on this cool morning, she incorporated slivers of ginger root. Adding the rhizome to chai was a trick she'd learned at home; it was a folk remedy that kept winter colds at bay. She placed the pot on the stove and allowed it to simmer.

Bharti Kirchner Darjeeling 2002