Chai Latte...

Chai Chai ...
Quintessentially Indian...
Quintessentially comforting...
From me ...a (forced) non tea drinker...
Before I (unwillingly) converted to Green tea...I was a serious,I mean serious tea drinker....
My friend Jaya Tripathi and partner in crime Poonam Bedi will vouch for that!
Many a thermos of tea were consumed by us before half the work day was past....then the work would be fuelled only by the thought of the big steaming Mug(I don't want to call it "mugga"....it does not remind one of the "cuppa"...but of something really unpleasant!)of tea waiting at home with lunch.
But no I'm not heading back that alley way...though the tea gardens will thank me for the boost to their economies.....
Today...I tried something different.

Chai Latte..
The expression may look feigned...but you can not see the Hindi text book that he was studying from!Check the foam and the froth and the sprinkling of fennel seed powder---looks straight out of Barista!
Excuse the lack of accents on the letters -I am not that "font" savvy yet!
Well...I actually had a version of this Chai Latte at a Delhi hotel coffee shop...not naming any names...I don't want people banging on my doors...it did taste different .....they have big machines...we here use our ingenuity!
I ,needless to say ...made it more palatable(less loaded with cream and full fat milk) and lower in calories...Calories being the buzz word!
For the  


Chai Latte...
you need


2 cups skimmed milk
1/2 cup water
3-4 tsp  tea leaves...I mixed red label,green label and yellow label
4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp each cinnamon powder,fennel seed powder,dried ginger powder
2 each cardamom,cloves
6-7 peppercorns
Actually..use as much or as less of the spices that you want...you are the one who has to drink it!


So without much further ado...


here are the sweet spices..

Start by pounding the whole spices..

Put the milk,water ,sugar, tea leaves and all spices except the ginger powder into a sauce pan and let it boil away till you get the colour and flavour in your pan...keep tasting as you go on.If you do add the ginger to the milk more often than not it will split!

Now strain it out into a clean pan.

Turn on the gas to simmer and whip out your hand blender...add the ginger powder and whip away....

No,you cannot use egg beater blenders...too much air,too less froth and the latte cools super fast on you...
Now take out a pretty cup....

You can sprinkle it with fennel seed powder or cinnamon or even top it with whipped cream...the world is your oyster baby...

I like mine in Jiya' s mug..the one from her baby shower.

We are looking at a Eureka Moment here!Sadly it didn't translate to Hindi..

And mine...That was easy...

We made only two cups..to honour the rain....If it rains in your city as much as it does here in Ranchi...what are you waiting for???
Make this Chai Latte....
I wont come banging on your doors for royalty ....
and have some cake or cookies with it...


So what are you baking today???