Asha's Three Spice Chai
A million ways to brew love in a cup. Every kitchen holds its secrets, every family their ritual. In our home, a dozen different chais bloom like seasons - each one a small ceremony, a pause in the day's rush.
Chai is labor made tender. The slow simmer, the careful balance, the steam that carries stories. It asks you to stop, breathe, stir with intention.
Whether you cradle it alone in morning quiet or pass it between laughing friends, chai becomes what you need - companion to solitude, bridge between hearts, warmth that lingers long after the last sip.
Three spices, countless possibilities. Each cup is a love letter to the ritual of slowing down.
Makes 3 cups
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 ½ cups water
10 cardamon pods
10 whole black peppercorns
5 cloves
(crush the cardamom, black peppercorn, and cloves in a mortar and pestle or a spice blender)
2 tablespoons sugar ( sweeten to your preference)
3 tablespoon loose leaf black tea (I’ve put a link to the tea I use to make my chai below)
Wagh Bakri Loose Assam Black Tea
Make sure you have a teapot and small strainer handy.
In the pot, milk meets water, crushed spices, sugar—all dancing on a low flame. Five minutes of gentle simmer, stay close now, don't let the milk escape. Watch for steam's first whisper, then add your tea. The moment milk is about to boil over, lift the pot away. Strain, pour, and sip.
In the weeks to come, I'll share more chai stories from our kitchen—recipes that have warmed my solitary mornings and filled my evenings with the voices of loved ones.