Ginger tea

RTodor

I need to know how to make ginger tea at home Are the roots cut or ground or crushed and then are they boiled (and for how long) or boiled water poured over them and left for some time ...?
Help highly appreciated

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rossy

volga_volga

Darling, welcome back!! I simply peel a bit of the ginger root, and cut it is small peices, and put them into the tea cup, together with the teabag. If you use leaf tea, just put the pieces of ginger in the tea pot and the ginger taste will be acquired during the time the tea is brewing.

there is a thread "Gymnastics and tea making" on various chai recipes in the Cuisine and Restaurants section here

Ciao

Volga

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Josie

I've made ginger tea at home - it tastes good and I haven't died - so I think I might be doing it right.

Get the fresh ginger root - peel off the outer skin with a knife, then slice into thin slices. Put into a mug, then pour on the boiling water, and leave to stew for about 5 minutes. It's now ready to drink.

Enjoy

Josie
www.earthreunion.com

catmac

Never had it in India, but in Thailand it's simply a small quantity of powdered dried ginger topped up with plenty of sugar. Put in cup, and add hot water!
I'm sure you can do it with fresh ginger infused in boiling water, but it's the old tea-bag syndrome (quick, easy and convenient!).Ready mixed ginger tea powder/sugar is available in most shops, and makes a wonderful, refreshing drink.

volga_volga

I suggest we move to the cuisine and restaurant section, or we sound too much like 5 o'clock tea ladies...
:-))))))

Good idea volga_volga!
Alan D

beach

We get the whole thing in powdered form (that is dried ginger, cardamom etc.)

We do it like this
Boil the water and milk separately in open pan.
Add the ginger mix powder to the water and
Add tea powder/leaf to the boiling water
Boil for about 3-4 minutes
Add milk and sugar.

You can put the smashed ginger instead of the powder mentioned and boil it for a bit long (10-15 minutes?) to get the juice mixed properly. Add a piece of cardamom also if you can (for the smell). The tea powder/leaf may be added a bit late in this case. Too much of boiling with tea powder/leaf may give a bitter taste to the tea.

Some people boil the whole mix (that is after adding milk and sugar) for a bit. Others mix it separately. Ration of milk to water also follow the same suit. Those like thin tea will have a larger portion of water to milk.

My kitchen looks more like a chemistry lab!
By the way do you get ginger in Bulgaria?

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Alan D

Most chai-wallahs seem to pound the ginger with a blunt instrument and then throw it in the pot. I like a cardamom or two added to the brew.

Josie

Yummmm... cardamom Yummmm...good extra ingredient...

Josie
www.earthreunion.com

volga_volga

fresh ginger cannot even be compared to the powdered version

volga_volga

ahhh! and with this post I am promoted to the Senior Member! honestly, dunno how it happened...

AvidTrekker

In India, ginger tea is more or less a peculiarity of the South Gujarat region. From there, it spread to Mumbai. From Mumbai it is spreading to every place. Even today, many places in South India serve horrible tea (Indian version).

The ginger will dominate over cardamom if both are used together. Only thing which will stand up to ginger is cloves, this seems suitable for winter, not summer. Summer recco is only cardamom tea.

This is the South Guj. way:

Two cups water. Add fresh ginger grated by a cheese grater. (This is fast, convenient, & doesn't necessitate skin removal)
Add big pinch of small chopped lemon grass leaves ( Cymbopogon citratus ). Add wee bit clove if its cold weather. (clove is not a popular choice) Boil for four mins. Add tea leaves... (the Assam variety cuz Darjeeling tea is very mild) & boil for a minute & a half. Add two cups milk & sugar to taste. If dilute brew reqd, then only one cup milk. (Gujaratis have a very "milky" chai). Be alert for milk overflow-spill-on-boiling. Let this boil for 90 secs by taking off vessel whenever brew threatens to overflow (& put it back again)

Filter brew. Drink tea with "Surti pataasaa" dipped in it & eaten. Have another cup separately to "drink only" cuz u'll have crumbs at the bottom of your first cup & half the tea has vanished (absorbed by the biscuits)(Surti butter or Surti pataasaa is a bakery product famous in Surat bakeries.... basically a small, mildly salted, shaped like a very small bun.... biscuit !! ).

Drool, drooool.... I just gotta make this tea..... !! For those lucky enough to be in Mumbai/Surat/South Gujarat... add spearmint leaves with the first cup. For the abso. connossier, add peppermint leaves instead of spearmint leaves. I am already in heaven thinking of the peppermint tea.

Aaaaaahaaa....... slrrr u u p !

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volga_volga

Hi AT, sound delicious. When I am in Mumbai, what is the exact name of the tea to order - ginger tea or ginger tea with mint leaves or else?

AvidTrekker

Hi Volga

Ginger tea is available in many places in Mumbai. Ginger tea with pudina (spearmint) is avlble in fewer places...... & the ULTIMATE .......... ginger tea with peppermint is avlble at homes only, with advance notice only, cuz fresh peppermint leaves are in short supply & avlble at ONLY three shops in the ENTIRE city of Mumbai(avlble from 15:30 to 17:00 only). This secret (the three shops) I have not revealed even to my Indian friends after they have gone crazy drinking peppermint tea. Incidentally, locally its called "pippermit" chai for those lucky few who know it.

As for the secret, I am not joking. Try this..... go to the Taj. (THE Taj Mahal Hotel at Gateway of India). Offer them ten thousand US Dlrs if they can serve you "fresh peppermint leaves" chai in say, 30 mins. They already have pudina chai cuz I've had it there. But pudina is spearmint, not peppermint. The good old Taj will have to say..... sorry!! no peppermint today, please come tomorrow, we'll serve you....

I have had peppermint chai at home or at friends' places(I carry leaves to their places). I take sadistic delight when asked for the address of the shop(s). I give them only THAT address which I know they cant make it to. (Mumbai means lotsa traffic & great distances ) or else I keep inviting them frequently for chai (everyone is so busy in Mumbai that you cant go frequently to anybody's place EVEN if you are promised free lunch EVERY day).

Even I cant have peppermint chai every day cuz I am not present exactly between 3:30pm to 4:30pm at the relevant shop (opposite my house). The leaves remain fresh for two days only.

Pudina chai is avlble at good hotels like the Taj.... but it will be more "Western" in taste.... i.e. milk served separately. sugar served seprtly... then you stir it... then it goes cold (lukewarm).. then its nowhere near what I have described above.

If you wanna make it yourself, any vegetable vendor will sell you pudina leaves. They are used in many salads as well. The same vendor will sell you lemon grass leaves. They call it leelee chai. Leelee means green. Now, some vendors even call it "lemon grass" cuz of Thai cooking fever.

All the best of luck for making chai. With three days notice, I can make some peppermint chai for you. The leaves wont be avlble after the 14th March (approx) cuz the plant wont grow in hot weather.

Yikes, I am now writing recipes online. What am I going to do next, I wonder... (original intention was "trekking" discussions only... see where it got me)

RTodor

Hello Volga-Volga How are you doing? Drop a line.
will try all recipies. I need it as a winter anti-coughing medicine but I like the taste any time. Learnt about its healing properties in Puri where I was coughing my lungs out and the guest-house manager brought me a pure ginger brew - very dark red in colour and tasting terrible LOL - a few minutes later there was no sign of the cough ...until the next day he he from then on I had it every day at any time but the milk version.
I don't know if we grow ginger here but you can find the roots in the market ...will look for the powder version if you think it's better

volga_volga

Hi AvidTrekker,

your knowledge of teas has no borders! believe it or not, but I have already encountered world-wide shortage of peppermint and nasty attemps by top notch hotels to substitute it with spearmint. (I am drinking my own cup of peppermint tea that I brought with me from London).

Last December, in Four Seasons Hotel in Buenos Aires (business lunch, no other!) I asked for a cup of peppermint tea that I habitually drink after a meal. They brought me horrible spearmint tea and apologies that they did not have peppermint on that day.

I am in Mumbai this Saturday for a day only, so your peppermint tree will not have time to grow, and I will try to order that tea with pudina - is it black tea with ginger and with spearmint? how does it go with milk? I only drink black tea with milk, but I can't imagine how spearmint and milk go together.

talking about strange tea combinations, once at breakfast I was offered green masala tea, and once in a supermarket I bought green Earl Grey tea