Chai Pilgrimage

There is nothing in the universe that is non-medicinal and cannot be made use of for many purposes and by many modes. — Vagbhata, Ashtanga Hrdayam

Botanical: Zingiber officinale

English: Ginger

Sanskit: Ardraka (fresh), Sunthi (dried)

Hindi: Adrak, Adarakh

Nepali: Aduwaa

In the ancient Ayurvedic tradition, ginger was referred to as Vishvabhesaja, meaning “the universal medicine.”  It has been utilized as a botanical healer around the world since antiquity for a broad range of conditions. Ginger’s warming quality counteracts many cold-induced illnesses brought on during the winter. It is a common home remedy that is safely used with children for colds, flu, sore throat and sinus congestion. It can calm stomach nausea, vomiting and motion sickness and help relieve intestinal gas and abdominal cramping, including menstrual cramps. We found it indispensable for these conditions while traveling in Nepal and India and always carried it in our daypack, eating it raw as a first aid treatment.

ginger vendor in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Ginger breaks up mucus congestion and acts as an expectorant for the lungs. It cleanses the body by burning toxins or eliminating them through the skin by promoting perspiration. By neutralizing toxins and aiding circulation, it helps treat rheumatic conditions and osteo-arthritis.

Ginger is a powerful digestive because it stimulates saliva flow, ignites the digestive fire and tones the stomach. Dr. Vasant Lad suggests eating a slice of ginger with a few drops of lime juice and a pinch of mineral salt before eating to promote digestion. As an entire medicine chest in one plant, it is a good idea to always have some on hand in your home.

Ginger is the primary spice in masala chai. The fresh root (actually a rhizome) is available at most supermarkets. To use it, grate, smash or thinly slice the fresh root and add it to the simmering masala. Using a cheese grater is the simplest method and there is no need to peel it. In a pinch, you can use dried ginger powder, but the whole, fresh ginger root will offer the best flavor.

In the Indian metropolis of Delhi, where fast-paced, cell-phone toting characters out of Monsoon Wedding live side by side with barefoot rickshaw wallahs cycling past roaming cows in the road, we visited the largest spice market in all of Asia, the bustling Khari Baoli bazaar.  At once, all our senses were over-stimulated to an amplified level. Open air shops on both sides of the road displayed sackcloth bags filled with pungent spices, bushels of fragrant flowers, nuts and sticky dried fruits, mountains of bright orange turmeric, mouth-watering sweets, gallons of gooey ghee and enough tea to steep the Indian ocean. We could barely breath.  The intense combination of indiscernible aromas oscillated our insides between gagging nausea and voracious hunger.

Carried along by the throngs of merchants corralled on the sidewalks, we watched as businessmen from all over India tested quality with a sniff or a taste and marked a deal with a head waggle.  Shopkeepers weighed out goods the old-fashioned way, with iron weights on a balance scale.  In the street, thin men carried burlap sacks bigger and heavier than their own bodies, loading them onto hand drawn wooden carts. Whether you need 5 grams or 500 kilos, goods are sold in bulk at rock-bottom wholesale prices.  We walked away with precious clear gift boxes filled with delicate red saffron strands from Kashmir.  This is the ideal place to look at some of the spices used to make masala chai, and their medicinal properties.

As we traveled throughout India researching chai, one question we asked people as we sat around the chai stalls was, “What is the origin of masala chai?” The response we heard, more than any other, was that it is “grandmothers’ tea.”  Grandmother, the traditional caretaker of the household, would brew a blend of plant roots, bark and seeds if a family member became ill, or as a tonic to keep them healthy through the changing seasons. Some of the ingredients now found in a classic cup of masala chai are useful for cold, flu, stomach ailments, digestion, lungs and other common maladies.  These family recipes were handed down from mother to daughter to granddaughters over generations spanning hundreds or even thousands of years.

Then came the Brits. Back in Britain, folks had developed quite an expensive habit for Chinese tea, their most popular beverage.  To make a long story of greed, slavery, drug smuggling, war, deforestation and imperialism short, Britain’s East Indian Company, who wanted independence from the high cost of China tea, took over areas in northeast India to establish their own tea plantations.  This turned India into a big, profitable tea party and opened the floodgates, unleashing an ocean of tea on the subcontinent.

One popular belief, or chai conspiracy story, we heard many times during our travels, is that the British first dispensed tea at no cost to the Indian population, knowing its addictive nature and seeing an enormous new local market.  The marketing plan worked, as even now, India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of tea.  Eventually tea, with its energy giving medicine, made its way into grandma’s spice decoctions.  Add some milk and sugar, coming from both traditional Indian Ayurvedic and British tea-time traditions, and masala chai was born.  There is, of course, no way to verify this chai creation theory, but it seems plausible.

Later, the British tradition of tea sipping seeped into Indian culture.  People (generally men) would gather outside there home on the streets to drink chai and socialize.  Chai stalls became the new meeting place.  At the dhabas, or Indian 24 hour truckstops, Punjabi truck drivers demanded a strong cup of masala chai as a restorative drink to get them through the long hours of driving.  And in homes, chai became the symbol of hospitality.

The inception of masala chai seems to have its roots in a crossroads of cultures, beginning with the Indian grandmothers, coming together in the subcontinent.  It has only recently become hugely popular in the West, particularly in the U.S.  This is an historic ironical twist, considering America was founded on dumping tea into the ocean as an act of civil disobedience, with the Boston Tea Party becoming a symbol of tax resistance and revolution.

Chai is such an integral part of Indian culture, I think they must look at us and wonder “What is such the big deal with chai?”  As a foolish American chai lover, I offer my humble thank you to the long line of grandmothers on the other side of the world, who gave us the gift of masala chai.

Hamro Nepali hajuramma (our Nepali grandmother in Darjeeling, India)

Here’s a quick, simple, light, spicy, yummy chai recipe for your sipping pleasure…Click on recipe card above to view larger or click here to download a printable version.

Ingredients

4 cups Water
1/4 cup grated, fresh Ginger (loosely packed)
1 cup Milk
3 Tbl. Sugar (we like to use Sucanat, an evaporated cane juice)
5 tsp. Darjeeling Black Tea (Sikkim’s Temi estate tea harmonizes well with the flavor of ginger)

Recipe

Simmer ginger in water for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add milk and sugar and bring back to simmer.
Turn off heat, add tea, cover and steep for 3-4 minutes.
Strain and serve.
Makes about 4  cups

There are some chai lovers out there who have never made their own masala chai from scratch. They may think it is too complicated, they don’t have enough time or there is some secret to making good chai.  I can assure you, making masala chai is simple, and the only secret is that fresh, homemade chai is superior to anything you can get out of a box.  Like anything else we have never done before, once it is demystified, it becomes easy.

Some Indian readers may not know, that in North America, you can purchase ready-made masala chai in a box.  In fact, there are now a multitude of instant chai mixes and masala tea bags available.  The Hindi word chai has come to mean masala chai, and many Americans redundantly say chai tea, not knowing that chai means tea.  To our benefit, however, the recent popularity and availability of masala chai has turned on the masses to the simple pleasure of drinking spiced milk tea.  Unfortunately, in our culture of consumer convenience, many think chai is something that only comes out of a box or from Starbucks, and have been disempowered from making their own, before ever even trying.

If you choose to Be Here Now and continue reading, you will receive the transcendental masala chai making empowerment.  It is like a shaktipat, except you can do it to yourself.  Here it goes…Say out loud “I can make masala chai!  I can make masala chai!!  I can make masala chai!!!”, then clap your hands together like a lightning strike and tap the middle of your forehead with the ring finger of your right hand. Svaha!

You have been self-initiated.  Now you possess within you everything you need.  With some milk, tea, sugar, spices and a little practical guidance, you’ll be ready to go.

One thing you should know: there is a great deal of diversity when it comes to making masala chai.  For example, in the West, we tend to use an assortment of spices in excessive proportions, instead of just one or two for a hint for flavor.  In India they usually boil the tea rather than just steeping it.  We’ll discuss some of the various preparation techniques and nuances in later posts.

Here is a method (not the method) of masala chai preparation to get you started.  Create a masala, or spice combination, by adding spices into a pot of water.  Simmer for 5 or 10 minutes (some like to brew it much longer).  Then add milk, anywhere from a 1:1 to 1:5 ratio to water, and sugar or other sweetener, and bring to a simmer again.  Turn off the heat, add loose black tea, generally about 1 teaspoon per cup, cover, and let it steep 3-5 minutes.  Strain and serve.

Remember, start simple at first. To begin with, use only ginger; next time, add some cardamom; later try some cinnamon or fennel, and so on. This way you can get to know the spice flavors before you get too complex. OK, so you went crazy with the black pepper and made it so spicy that you can’t even drink it.  Don’t give up.  Just learn from your mistakes.  Find the spices that suite your palate to create your own spice palette. Play with different recipes and have fun. With some practice, you can develop a creative chai making mastery and turn the simple act of preparing chai into an art.

Jenny and I will offer recipes now and again, some information about spices, tea varieties, seasonal chais and ingredient alternatives for those who cannot take caffeine, milk or sugar.  Although we usually just eyeball the proportions and make it a little different each time, instead of using a recipe, measuring out ingredients can be a helpful starting point until you trust you abilities enough to experiment.  If you have some chai-making tips or a recipe to share, please leave a comment.
Making, drinking and serving masala chai to our friends is one of our greatest joys.  Thanks for coming to our site.  May you always feel empowered!

Exploring the subcontinent on a shoestring takes a great deal of open-mindedness, adaptability and stamina. It puts you on the level of the local folks, giving you the opportunity to connect with the culture in a way that staying at five-stars does not. On the down side, unless you are living with a family or take refuge at an ashram, you may be at the mercy of food stalls with compromised hygiene practices and guesthouses that provide less than comfortable accomodations.

Some of the amenities that we are accustom to, like electricity for example, cannot be taken for granted.  The idea of this may seem quaint or adventurous at first, until you are sleeping at a cheap guest house and in the middle of the night there is a power outage and you realize that your ceiling fan, which was keeping the mosquitoes grounded and your sweat cool, stops working.  You learn that sometimes it’s worth spending the extra rupees for a place with a backup generator.

The trick to packing for developing countries is to think of it as a long camping trip. For an extended trip, packing light is key, but it is important not to skimp on some vital health and comfort items. A medium sized backpack or luggage on wheels is sufficient. If you are moving around a lot, wait until the end of your trip to stock up on gifts and Indian treasures, then get a huge duffel bag and go to town.
Without regret, most of the weight in our pack is from a stockpile of natural medicines. Dysentery can be a real buzz-kill for your travel itinerary. But, if you can stay comfortable and in good health, your journey can be the adventure of a lifetime. Here is what we have found to be some of the essentials for an enjoyable 3 to 6 month very low-budget experience in India and Nepal.

Essentials

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

CLOTHES – In general, the clothing you take should be sturdy, dark enough to mask the dirt, and attire you enjoy enough to live in day after day.  Wearing modest, non-revealing clothes can earn you considerable respect and spare you stares, hassles or worse. Keep in mind that you may want to purchase some traditional Indian garments, so don’t take too much. Even if you plan to don the local apparel, if you are there long enough, at some point you will long to wear your favorite t-shirt, so take it. If you limit yourself to two or three sets of clothes, you can wear one while washing and drying the others.

COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES OR SANDALS

FLIP-FLOPS – The perfect footwear in a country where you remove your shoes before entering homes, temples and many businesses. A must for funky shower stalls. You can buy a pair of cheap flip-flops upon arrival.

HAT – For sun protection or to keep your head warm depending on where and what time of year you are traveling.

DOWN VEST -This can save your life in the Himalayas and can cinch up to the size of a softball when you are on the plains.

TOWEL – As any fan of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy knows, a seasoned traveler always knows where his or her towel is. Indians also have a pragmatic imagination when it comes to towels, or gamcchas. Its uses are seemingly endless: you can tie it around your head as a turbine, around your neck as a scarf or around your waist as a skirt or lungi. You can use it as a shawl to keep warm, use it as a sheet to lie on or as a blanket to lie under. It can be used as a satchel to carry groceries or a baby. You can cover you nose and mouth to filter out the thick, black exhaust when traveling through traffic in open vehicles. You can use it as a hankie or to wipe off your sweat, your seat, a messy table or fresh cow shit off your feet. And, if it is reasonably unsoiled, you can even dry off your clean body after a bucket shower. Indian towels are thin and inexpensive, so get a few.

DAY PACK - For short excursions or as a purse to keep the necessities on hand. You can also buy a jhola, or Indian shoulder bag, while you are there.

LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION from friends – A formality that is good to have if you are spending time at an ashram or with a family you have never met.

Lonely Planet Guidebook – A rich source of practical information for travelers. This is a heavy item, but you can cut down the weight by photocopying or ripping out the necessary pages.

JOURNAL/SKETCHBOOK

MONEY BELT – To secure your passport, cash, traveler’s checks and plane tickets. Fasten it around your waist and tuck it under your clothes. Keep a smaller amount of spending rupees in a separate wallet or purse.

PASSPORT – It is an enormous hassle if you lose it. Keep it in your money belt.

VISA – This must be arranged in advance from the Indian embassy. Some regions of India require additional visas. You can obtain a Nepal Visa upon arrival in the Kathmandu airport.

TRAVELER’S CHECKS – A wise form of currency in an unpredictable country.

CASH – It is always helpful to have some cash when you cannot find a place to exchange travelers checks. US $100 bills are practically universal. If you are traveling in smaller villages, however, change money before you get there and have a supply of small denomination rupee notes.

GIFTS FOR CHILDREN – Have a supply of pencils or pens on hand as practical gifts for the children you encounter. We found that buying peanuts and fruit to give to begging children is better than giving them rupees, which may end up in someone else’s pocket.  We also took over two huge duffel bags of children’s clothing, school and art supplies and educational games donated by friends, Crocodile Creek and Oopsy Daisy Fine Art for Kids for a school and orphanage in Nepal.

PHOTOS FROM HOME – Have a few photos of family, friends and home to share with curious new friends.

HAND SANITIZER – Purell or other alcohol-based germ killers are indispensable in a country where you feel like everything you touch is dirty and soap is not found next to every sink.

WATER BOTTLE – The stainless steel varieties like Kleen Kanteen are indestructible and can hold hot liquids without leaching toxins from the plastic.

WATER FILTER- Can protect you from countless waterborne bacteria and viruses without leaving a trail of plastic water bottles that end up getting burned in piles outside you hotel window. We highly recommend the First Need filter.

SPARE FILTER – If you are on an extended trip

UNIVERSAL DRAIN COVER – This thin, round, flat piece of rubber can turn any sink into a laundry tub or a water source to filter water out of.

MOSQUITO NET – If you are in a mosquito zone, it can mean the difference between sound sleep or malaria.

MOSQUITO REPELLANT – We like the natural herbal stuff, but so do those Indian mosquitoes. Get something strong that works.

SPARE GLASSES – A spare pair of glasses or contacts is essential if you cannot do without. You can also get glasses made quite inexpensively in Indian cities.

SWISS ARMY KNIFE – For cutting fruit and a million other uses.

COMPACT MIRROR

FLASHLIGHT- Crucial in a country with frequent power outages.

LIGHTER – For incense, candles or when you can’t find your flashlight. Much safer and reliable than Indian matches.

EARPLUGS – Sleep through the predawn loudspeaker call to prayer, city street noise or communal train voyages.

WATCH/ALARM – Indian time is fluid at best, but the trains are often on time.

SLEEPING BAG – The kind that scrunches down in a small stuff sack. Useful on trains and budget guesthouses where clean bedding is not guaranteed.

LOCK AND SMALL CHAIN – To secure your luggage on overnight 2nd class sleeper train rides or on top of buses.

CLOTHESLINE – To dry your laundry, string it up around your room and turn on your ceiling fan or use on a balcony or rooftop.

Toiletries

DENTAL FLOSS – Easier to find here than there and essential after eating Indian sweets.

DEODARANT – Again, easier to find here than there.

TOOTHPASTE – There are great Ayurvedic toothpastes available in India, but if you have one you like, get it at home.

Tooth brush, Razor, Bandaids, Finger nail clippers, Safety pins, Zip-lock plastic bags

Q-TIPS – To apply ointments or mine crud out of your ear canals. You may choose to leave the ear cleaning up to the traditional ear cleaners who have been practicing their trade for generations. You can spot them at train stations or city streets with surgical instrument-looking devises jutting out from under their red caps. No joke.

Electronic extras

DIGITAL CAMERA – Unless you are hooked on film, we found it less cumbersome and easier when going through multiple airports x-ray machines to use digital. You can use an iPod to easily download your photos in the field.

iPod – Great for long train rides. With a light, mini-speaker system you can create peaceful ambiance in your room. Also use to store digital photos.

ELECTRIC PLUG CONVERTER – India has different outlets and voltage so this is critical if you are taking electronic devices.

RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES/CHARGER – For flashlight, camera, etc.

Medicines

MULT-VITAMIN – Even if, like us, you usually do not rely on pills for nourishment, a supplement can help provide sustenance in times when it is hard to find safe, wholesome food.

Emergen-C – Powder supplement you mix with water to make a yummy, fizzy drink filled with vitamin C,  minerals, electrolytes and B vitamins. Great for an energy boost or dehydration.

GINGER CAPSULES – For nausea, motion sickness, colds, flu and to aid digestion.

ACIDOPHILUS – This or other probiotic bacteria is invaluable for building up your intestinal flora for improved digestion and to combat unwanted intestinal invaders. Get the temperature stable variety and take it daily, even before your trip. Having a regular dose of yogurt, or dahi as they call it, can also provide healthy intestinal growth.

CURING PILLS – This Traditional Chinese Medicine formula is a remedy for nausea, indigestion, vomiting, acid reflux and food poisoning.

GRAPEFRUIT SEED EXTRACT – Multi-purpose strong medicine that helps zap amoebas and parasites.

ACTIVATED CHARCOAL CAPSULES – For food poisoning. Have a few on hand just in case. Burnt toast works also.

DIARRHEA MEDICINE – Although we personally prefer natural medicines, it is a good idea to have some Imodium (loperimide, HCl) on hand to stop the flow on a long bus ride or when prolonged diarrhea and dehydration becomes a risk.

ECHINACEA– An immune boosting root that helps when you feel like you’re coming down with cold or flu.

HOMEOPATHICS – Light weight medicines like Arnica montana for muscle trauma and pain, Carbo veg. for digestive problems and Nux vomica for nausea and upset stomach, Oscillococcinum for first sign of cold or flu, to name a few.

TEA TREE OIL – Although not actually from the tea tree, this camphor-esque smelling oil has antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. We use it primarily to keep cuts from becoming infected but is also useful for insect bites, pimples, fungal growths and oral infections. In India you can also purchase Neem oil, which has similar uses and is even more foul smelling.

THROAT LOZENGES – Pollution makes for scratchy throats. If you run out, I recommend the Himalaya brand herbal Koflet lozenges available in India.

PAIN KILLERS – Take your pick.

Buy There

SHAWL – A Pashmina shawl, or chudder, is your best friend in a cold climate.

WATER HEATING COIL – Plug it in and submerge coil in a bucket of water for a hot bucket shower. Very dangerous – use with caution.

SOAP - There are an assortment of Ayurvedic soaps available in India.

CHYAVANA PRASH – A medicinal herbal jam chock full of vitamin C from amla fruit and an array of plant medicines for immunity, lungs and general health.

AMOEBICA – This Ayurvedic formula helps keep amoebic dysentery at bay.

Liv52 – A liver cleansing formula that can help clear toxins taken in from food, water and air.  Good preventative for viral hepatitis.

Again, these are suggestions for a low-budget, roughing-it-in-style type of travel. You could also travel minimalist, sadhu-style with your water vessel, toothbrush, passport and a lot of faith. Or, if you are only going for a short visit and have a bigger budget, you can take whatever you want and just hire someone to carry your luggage.

However you decide to travel, one thing you can surely leave behind, are your expectations.