Doodh Cha
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐!
Every great beginning starts with a steaming cup of โchaโ. And just like that I am starting The Spice Odyssey with the most quintessential Bengali drink โ Doodh Cha! For us Bengalis, โcha' is more than just a cup of tea to start the day along with the side of a newspaper. Tea is an intrinsic part of the Bengali rhythm of life. We are known for our love for long conversations and this is complemented by our love of tea.
In other cultures, tea may be considered to be a drink with therapeutic properties, but to us it's much more, it's both an energizing and unwinding refreshment allowing us a chance to slow down, pull back, appreciate our surroundings. Although there are different varieties, โDoodh Chaโ as in Milk Tea is most synonymous with Bengali culture. There is no place that makes tea quite like Bengal, the richness of it's earthly, creamy, and spicy yet sweet taste will capture your heart.
Doodh Cha | Bengali Masala Tea
Serving: 2
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Water โ 1 cup (8 oz)
Whole Milk โ 1 cup (8 oz)
CTC black tea โ 10 g (2-3 tsp) or 4-5 Tea Bags
Sugar โ 3-4 Cubes/Tsp
Note: If you like it spiced, you can add these spices below. Make sure to use a mortar and pestle to gently crush the spices to release their flavors.
Cardamom โ 1
Cloves โ 2
Fresh Ginger โ 10 g
Let the water and spices (optional) come to a rolling boil in med-high heat. Now add the milk and sugar and wait until it gently starts to bubble. Add in your tea and allow it to boil vigorously. Just when the tea is about to boil over, reduce the heat all the way to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. You can see the tea change colour from light brown to a pinkish-orange brown. I like to double strain it. Enjoy it with toast biscuits or tea rusk or whatever you call it in your part of the world.
Psst my easy hack at home! โ Especially when youโre in a hurry. Skip the step with milk and sugar and make the tea black. Then at the end drop in a dollop (about 2 Tsp) of sweetened condensed milk in the tea cup with the black tea, stir until you get the right rosy-orange-brown color. The result is a thick, rich and creamy comforting concoction. Enjoy!
