Spiced Chai

‘Chai’ is literally the word for ‘tea’ in languages from Hindu and Arabic to Turkish and Swahili, but when people talk about ‘chai’ in the Western food world, they’re often referring to a hot milky tea infused with aromatic spices. The flavour of it can be very personal and, if you’re travelling in India, the spices used tend to vary according to region. A cup of steaming, sweet chai in the chill morning air of an Indian hill station can be as welcome as one on a frosty, misty morning in the Highlands. I like to make my chai half and half – half black tea, half milk – by making a pot of Darjeeling tea and tipping it into a similar quantity of milk simmering in a pan with warming spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, dried ginger root, mace, allspice berries, and black peppercorn for a depth of heat. Where a big lump of jaggery might be stirred into the spiced chai in India, a drizzle of honey or a splash of whisky will do wonders to your cup in Scotland. If you drink the spiced chai outside in the cold air, you will feel warmth spread through your body from within and, if you drink a cup last thing at night, you might slip into luxurious slumber. Or just take a glass of Glenmorangie 18 to bed – it’s spiced chai and hot toddy all in one!