‘Back home in India, my family came together every evening over chai — a cup of tea. We relaxed our busy minds and fed our souls with laughter and the stories of the day. I still make chai here at home in Wageningen: a cup for myself and one for whoever else wants it. It breaks the stream of busy activity, inviting a moment of quiet joy and companionship. The tea is extra delicious with this savoury snack.’
Cardamom chai
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water per person
- 1/5 cup of regular or oat milk per person
- 2-3 cardamom pods
- 1 level tsp black tea powder per person
- Sugar (optional)
Preparation:
- Pour water and milk into a small pot.
- Split open cardamom pods and add them.
- Allow mixture to simmer on a low flame for a few minutes.
- When it’s foaming slightly around the sides, add the tea powder and take off the heat.
- Stir once and let the tea steep until the mixture turns brown. The longer you leave it, the darker it gets and the stronger it tastes.
- Strain the tea into mugs.
Onion pakodas
Ingredients:
- 2-3 onions cut in half, then sliced
- 2cm cube of ginger, finely diced
- Sprigs of coriander, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- Paprika or chilli powder to taste
- 100g rice flour
- 70g chickpea flour
- 1/2 lemon
- Green chillies (optional)
- Oil for frying
Preparation:
- Put the onions and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix well by hand to separate the onion layers.
- Add the ginger, coriander and chillies.
- Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the chickpea and rice flour gradually while mixing the contents of the bowl.
- Sprinkle water if required.
- Make little clumps of this mixture, put them in a pan with hot oil and fry until brown and crispy.
- Drizzle lemon juice on top before serving.
