h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: CHAI - A1028648
Author: Researcher 219914 - U219914

How surprising that H2G2 should lack a definitive recipe for Chai, one of the fastest-growing cults. Why, even the corporate tea-purveyors are producing sanitised versions for mass consumption. I hope my recipe fills the gap.

Chaiwallah

Not really my cup of tea.

Really like the idea of the cups though - can you see us attaching the same sort of affectionate nickname to a plastic beaker ?

Dear McKay The Disorganised,

How delightful to find that there really are people out there as demented as I, trolling through the reaches of cyberspace in search of such snippets.

Yes indeed, who could ever call a plastic cup anything other than a "despised," used, crushed, thrown away to become both an environmental embarrassment and an eyesore. As for "beloveds", the problem is that they are very low-fired, and attempts to bring them home from India usually fail.

However, as a potter, I get fits of making them for friends, along with introducing them to the chai addiction. In all honesty, good chai is almost undrinkably sweet, which works well in balance with a good dose of pepper and ginger. Even so I find one restricts one's intake; rarely more than once a month, and in company.

Chaiwallah.

Lovely article! Just the sort of fascinating detail that hootoo turns up every now and again to refresh ones spirits. Well written, concise & to the point

As a recipe for chai I think this entry stands up very well As an entry *about* chai I think it needs much more content - how chai originated, variations on the recipe, regional differences in the recipe, any ceremonial uses there might be, any chai etiquette there may be, that kind of thing.

Which way would you rather go with this entry Chaiwallah?

Dear 147203,

Your point is well taken. I am primarily a practical chai-maker, rather than a theoretical/academical "arm-"chai philosopher, and my main desire was to fill a discernible gap in the H2G2 repertoire, briefly, succinctly, and to the satisfaction of those who desire to experience the taste, rather than the concept, of chai.

If that last sentence is anything to go by, you should welcome my decision to avoid philosophising.

If you are a chai afficionado, and given to the history and ritual aspects of chai, please feel free to contribute. I would be delighted to see what you come up with.

Gratefully,

Chaiwallah.

Dear Wildman,

How kind. Enjoy the chai and spread the word!

I too, love chai, although I've rarely made it. Nice to see a recipe here. I think you mentioned that it can be made with soy milk for those with either dairy intolerances or who are vegan. Perhaps I'll try it with soy.

On camp, they make it in a big urn and it's really delicious.

Do they really throw away the 'beloveds'? Seems a bit of a waste.

I would be tempted to add a bit into the entry about substituting soy (or perhaps rice milk - would that work?) for milk. Is there anything that you can substitute for sugar - again a big no no for many. Candida sufferers, or people who generally want to avoid 'white death', for instance.

In truth, Chai is a matter of personal taste. There are those who do not include black pepper, cinnamom or even ginger. But if you do use the whole gamut of spices, it can be quite bitter, hence the need for sugar. There is no reason not to have any variation you like or can tolerate. The recipe I have published is one that my Indian mother-in-law ( now nearly 90 ) liked so much she asked me for my recipe, and she is a superb cook. So I took it that my recipe was a good one. I rarely make chai, because I find it so addictive, and I'm trying to keep off sugar myself, it irritates my joints, quite apart from the weight factor.

As to the Indian "beloveds", yes they do throw them away. They are very low-fired, are made by the zillion, and are wonderfully biodegradable, The tragedy is that they are being increasingly replaced by nasty little white styrofoam/plastic cups which are not biodegradable, and litter the countryside in a truly ugly mess.

Ah, I wondered if they were biodegradable. Doesn't seem so bad. Perhaps you could add a note to the entry to that effect?

There you are again, ZSF! Up early attending to your mails, unlike me. I'm a late starter, and therefore often a late worker, the curse of the self-employed, and with hootoo to add to the procrastination-temptations.

Anyway, yes, good point. Will do, after some financially productive work.

Hi Chaiwallah,

I have a hunch that the reference to the northern hemisphere is superfluous - considering (1) all of India (and Sri Lanka too for that matter) lies north of the equator and (2) it tastes damn fine down south too

No disrespect intended but I feel that the heading 'How to make the _BEST_ chai' might be less contentious as '_A_ recipe for chai' with (perhaps) a note mentioning that chai recipes vary not only from state to state, but also from stall to stall

And maybe something on the manner in which chai wallahs aerate the chai to cool (then _finally_ serve) their chai - and how it gets all the more flamboyant if there is a camera nearby
[Such an image could make for a v animated gif]

Anyhoo, it's a nice entry and thanks for the info re 'beloveds' - although I have used 100s of them, I never knew they had such a quaint name

six7s

Dear 777777,

You have obviously experienced chai to a depth I have yet to attain. Why don't you contribute the suggested ammedments ( I didn't want to discourage people from trying chai by mentioning some of the less hygienic aspects of street-side preparation, however authentic ) and be the co-author.

Thanks for the offer CW

It's been (OMG ) over ten years since I was in India and my memories are a little hazy - but I'll dig out my old journals -

Mind you, that might take a while... where are they???

six7s

Still looking for them six7s?

I think there was a conversation on chai I participated in quite some time ago. I'll trawl through my old conversations and see if I can find it.
Not that it necessarily could add anything to the article, but it might be of interest.

Found it:

F8237?thread=7694

but it's not as big as I thought it might have been.

Hello Chaiwallah,

Just checking in as a Scout has recommended this for the Edited Guide and I want to make sure you're finished before I accept it. Let me know here either way in the next couple of days and I'll be able to process it and knock it Edited Guidewards.

Delighted. Yes indeed, it was only intended to be a brief and informative introduction to chai, not a complete history, nor indeed a thesis thereon.

Take it away, matey.

Ta,

Chai.

Okeedokey - cheers lots!