Chai. Image by innacoz on flickr.com

Garam chai ki pyaali ho …
Aah, now if only I had a cup of hot chai …

The history of tea is thousands of years old. Yet the humble cup of tea remains till date a beverage that can embody hospitality, provide relaxation from a tired day, be an excuse to meet and catch up with old friends, or just offer you something in which to dip your biscuits or tea rusk. Whichever way you enjoy it, the robust tea remains unmatched in flavor and variety … in fact, the ubiquitous cafe pitched brews that have popped have popped up on cafe drink menus, have very little in common with real chai, besides the name. Here is a nicely written blog post about the significance of tea in Indian culture.

From Assam to Ceylon and China to Iran, the flavors of tea are varied and tantalizing. आज मसाला चाय बनाना सीखते हैं। (Aaj masala chai banana seekhte hain.)  Let’s learn to make a cup of  Indian masala chai … कड़क  (kadak) if you like it strong, हल्का (halka) if you like it milky and light. All you need are 5 ingredients — tea powder/leaves चाय पत्ती  (chai patti), milk दूध (doodh), sugar चीनी/शक्कर (cheenee/shakkar), water पानी (paani), and tea spice चाय मसाला (chai masala).

Read the vocabulary words provided first.

Then watch the video and follow along.