Chai….a staple of Indian homes. I didn’t really drink tea while growing up. Unlike Nilesh, who comes from a family that doesn’t get moving until they’ve had at least two cups of tea. So, I’ve learnt that the best way to get Nilesh moving is to have that cup of chai ready for when he wakes up, and woah, that honey-do-list gets moving in earnest! Kidding aside, we both swear that this ginger, cardamom combination not only is a great start to the day but the ginger keeps those sore throats away! On weekends, grab a cup of chai and the newspaper and it’s the perfect start to the weekend.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp tea leaves (typically, 1 per cup of tea)
• Sugar to taste
• For Ginger-Cardamom tea
  • 1/2 tsp finely minced /grated ginger
  • 3 green cardamom pods with seeds – crushed

Instructions:

• In a pan on stovetop, mix water and milk
• When mixture starts to bubble, add in the ginger and cardamom
• Bring mixture to boil, and add tea leaves and switch off stove
• Cover and let the tea steep for 3-4 minutes
• Filter into a cup with a small sieve and serve