Dishoom Digests: Chai

The History of Chai

India was not always known for its copious chai consumption. Tea is pre-dated by a tradition of drinking medicinal brews known as kadha (or kashayam in the South). These potent Ayurvedic decoctions were made by boiling water with herbs and aromatics to boost immunity and re-balance the body. Ginger for digestion. Cardamom for the heart.

The ritual brewing of tea leaves with whole spices, milk and sugar began later, when The Indian Tea Association, consisting of British tea plantation owners, decided to market tea to local Indians. The resulting deliciousness came to be called ‘chai’ – now a much-loved and enduring staple.

Deep-dive into the complex origins of chai in our History of Dishoom Chai journal.

The Many Varieties of Chai

There are innumerable ways to consume chai – with variations influenced by region, household and personal taste. Here is a brief selection, drawn from across India and the diaspora.

• Irani chai: Uses condensed milk. Sweet and milky, it is best for dunking buttered bread and baked goods into.
• Badshahi chai: A portion fit for a king, served in a much larger glass and using a higher proportion of milk.
• Doodhpati chai: No water, just milk.
• Noon chai: With an added pinch of salt.
• Kali chai: Black, with no milk.
• Kitchen chai: Very strong, very sweet (drunk by the bucket-load by Dishoom chefs).
• Khada chamach: So sweet that it could almost make a spoon stand up in the cup.
• Restorative chai: With Tulsi or holy basil.
• Soothing chai: With a few leaves of mint and lemongrass.

The History of Chai

India was not always known for its copious chai consumption. Tea is pre-dated by a tradition of drinking medicinal brews known as kadha (or kashayam in the South). These potent Ayurvedic decoctions were made by boiling water with herbs and aromatics to boost immunity and re-balance the body. Ginger for digestion. Cardamom for the heart.

The ritual brewing of tea leaves with whole spices, milk and sugar began later, when The Indian Tea Association, consisting of British tea plantation owners, decided to market tea to local Indians. The resulting deliciousness came to be called ‘chai’ – now a much-loved and enduring staple.

Deep-dive into the complex origins of chai in our History of Dishoom Chai journal.

How to Make Masala Chai

The enduring comfort of chai lies in its robust flavour and masala-infused warmth. This is achieved by slowly boiling all ingredients to fully combine – patience may also be considered an ingredient of sorts.

Our Executive Chef-walla Arun offers the following tips, for an authentic brew:

• Use fresh, whole spices instead of powders. And crush them – don’t grind – to release the oils and aromas as they boil. Fresh ginger should be grated finely enough to dissolve into your milk.
• Follow the double-rise technique. The heartbeat of a good chai. Keenly watch your pan and pull your chai from the heat as soon as it rises. For a stronger flavour, allow it to rise once more before removing. Do not overboil – this will turn proceedings bitter.

Recreate the same House Chai we've brewed in café for over 15 years with our Dishoom chai tin (contains signature spices) and the masala chai recipe.

The Benefits of Chai

The rejuvenating benefits of chai are rumoured to be plentiful, if somewhat discretionary. One that we can roundly agree upon: its ability to instantly elevate mood, with a single sip.

Increased daily function

Chai is essential to one’s productivity, or so the buzz of Bombay would make it seem. The city’s quintessential ‘cutting chai’ (a half-measure) – brewed longer and stronger, served in a short glass for swift knocking-back – puts pep in the step.

Boosted immunity

Cardamom, cloves and ginger are said to ward off illness while imparting a comforting warmth. When made with tulsi or holy basil, it becomes a restorative tonic that many swear by for pesky sore throats and allergies (gulp with abandon).

Greater social standing

If wishing to impress guests, perfecting the art of serving chai is a must. Ensure yours is free-flowing from their moment of arrival – snacks aplenty – and seemingly endless until they depart. Enjoy compliments.

Enriched timepass

Chai also is a by-word for leisure – that prized opportunity to slow and stare skyward. Unrushed, unhurried. We warmly encourage you to seek out your own moment of quiet libation.

The Chai-Walla, Bombay

The powerful concoction of milk, sugar and caffeine keeps the city running. Roadside tea stalls, known as tapris, are at every turn.

Of course, no stall is complete without a resident tea vendor, or chai-walla: pouring chai with great dexterity and skill from arm’s length into a small, stout glass. Or, depending on the stall, into roughly-shaped clay kulhads – ideal for guarding fingers against the blistering heat within.

It’s thought that there are ten million chai-wallas across India (and we’d wager a good number of them are around Kala Ghoda alone).

Spotting a cherished chai-walla is easy: look for a throng of locals. Crumpled office-goers. Gossipy students. Rickshaw drivers awaiting their next customer. A most motley but democratic bunch. Huddled in companionable silence against the crush of traffic and time, for a sweet but fleeting moment.

A Delicious Waste of Time

Around the tiny circumference of a chai glass, time behaves differently. Somehow dissolving, sweetly, into the cup.

Wasting time, when done deliciously, is positively luxurious. Nourishing. In Bombay, the old Irani cafés have this spirit baked into their walls – places for people of all walks of life to find quiet refuge from the street. Worn bentwood chairs and slow-whirling ceiling fans keep patient company with chai and bun maska – the freshest buns, generously laid with fridge-fresh butter, made for dipping. The hand-painted house rules – NO LAPTOPS, NO LOUD TELEPHONING – gently shoo patrons back to idler pursuits.

In many ways, we wanted Dishoom to inherit this spirit – the idea that a café might be more than a

café, but a precious place to pause. An invitation to let time slip away, sip by sip (with added help from bottomless chai before 5pm).

Join us at Dishoom