Masala chai was voted the world’s second most popular non-alcoholic drink by TasteAtlas. (TasteAtlas is an experiential travel online guide for traditional food that collates authentic recipes, research articles about popular ingredients and dishes) Masala chai for the uninitiated is chai or tea that is brewed with special condiments like ginger and whole spices like cardamom, clove and cinnamon, and occasionally saunf (fennel seeds). The importance of chai — with or without masala — cannot be discussed without its best partner — the wai (chai-wai). While chai is had any time of the day, its accompaniment, the wai varies according to what part of the day one is having tea.
Dhokla | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Time-bound partner
Chef Kunal Kapur, a social media favourite for his kitchen hacks and cooking videos, says his chai ka saathi changes according to the time of the day. Kunal said, “Whenever I have tea I have something with it. That ‘something’ is decided by what time of the day. When I am drinking tea in the morning, it is always biscuits. Since tea can be slightly acidic — especially when drunk early in the morning — I prefer the light and not-so-sweet Marie biscuit to balance the acid.”
Pouring Masala milk tea into a cup. | Photo Credit: sandsun
So, it’s ‘Guest for tea, bring home Marie’ for Kunal? “What is offered at home with tea again depends on the time of the day and the amount of time I spend with the person. If my meeting is supposed to be sweet and crisp, it is chai with cookies. If it is a long leisurely conversation, cookies are replaced with pakoda or when catching up with friends with no agenda, there has to be meetha and namkeen. I love serving fruit cake/tea cake with small khasta samosas too.” Kunal’s favourite namkeens are farsan and dhokla.
“While we are on the topic of chai, I feel masala chai is a hugely misunderstood beverage. A lot of people shy away from because they feel it is heavy and spicy. The secret to a cup of good masala chai lies in keeping it light. Do not over boil it in a bid to take out the juices of spices, this tends to spoil the taste of chai,” added Kunal.
Chai’s partner also varies from state to state
Murukku with chai is a good combination | Photo Credit: Moorthy M
Hyderabad-based Chef Shankar Krishnamurthy who was in charge of a tea party for Prime Minister Modi during one of his visits to Hyderabad agrees with Kunal that the time of the day is a major factor in deciding the accompaniment of tea. He that different parts of India have different favourites to go with tea. Down south, chai served with murukku. Shankar says, “Chai and jalebi, chai and samosa, chai and kachori, chai with farsan or fafda are some of the most popular combinations from India. Our Hyderabadi chai with Osmania biscuit is said to be a match made in our cafes by chai lovers. These combinations are so dear that they have become synonymous with the name of the place.”
This is the PP Samosa from Rajasthan | Photo Credit: Richa Khetan
Chai’s ideal companion also depends on the weather and season. When it rains in India, the chai-pakoda or chai-bajji combination reigns supreme. Richa Khetan, of the Jaipur-based food consultants Cauldron Sisters, says their personal favourite with chai is the PP samosa. “PP Samosa stands for Prem Prakash, a theatre in Rajasthan. That samosa that was introduced in the late 60s became so popular that every caterer started making it with a simple filling of boiled potato, peas with a simple garnish of pepper powder and a squeeze of lemon. The mention of chai in Rajasthan is incomplete without the mention of PP Samosa.”
Anabolu Baburao, who made Niloufer Cafe famous, prefers everything light with chai. “Anything that weighs light on my hand is a light snack with tea. So I would suggest the crispy onion samosa or the bun-maska with chai. I find them extremely lightweight on my hand,” Baburao laughs.
