Written by Ashley Weber
“It was such an amazing experience to watch how they’ve made the tea that we’ve been drinking for the last week.”
Govinda provided some insight in our early days here about Nepali tea. Essentially, there are two different qualities of tea; one that is ground into a grain and the other, leaves twisted together. The one that his family uses is the tea grain or dust. The process he described was relatively simple. The water is boiled in order to steep the tea. Afterwards sugar and milk is added to bring out the color and distinct taste.
The unique taste and process for tea making initiated an enthusiasm to learn and see how the tea is made!
Shelby and I were able to watch Sudha (Govinda’s wife) prepare the tea for our breakfast. The tea is called Chyie Tea (reversal of chai) – Ch-I-ya. Below is a very general recipe and process:
Ingredients
Milk
Water
Chai tea grain
Sugar
Sudha prepared one cup of tea initially and then added to result in 11 cups of tea.
For Two Cups of Tea
(1) Bring 1 cup of milk to a boil (3 minutes). Make sure to stir constantly to avoid burning. see note a.
(2) Add in 1 cup of water, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of Chyie Tea powder. Bring components to a boil (1 minute).
(3) If you want to make more cups of tea repeat steps 1 & 2 with desired number of cups.
(4) Using a small holed strainer, pour the tea into cups! Ready to serve!
Notes
a. In order to prevent tea from boiling over the edge, Sudha would use a ladle to remove and pour the tea mixture back into the pan.
b. I suggest doubling the recipe to take this fantastic tea on the go!
It was such an amazing experience to watch how they’ve made the tea that we’ve been drinking for the last week. It can be difficult to explain a process you do everyday. Sudha’s patience and clear instruction shows just how much Nepali people value other people. I look forward to buying the tea in Kathmandu and making it in the United States!
Here is a link directly showing Sudha’s process: