Bhubaneswar: Chai or tea can be described by many chai lovers in the country as something that refreshes them whenever they take a sip of the age-old beverage.
Chai has been inextricably linked with the average Indian lifestyle, be it guests visiting our houses or even an official meeting, tea serves every occasion. There are multiple websites elucidating the experience and stories people have of chai which testifies to its popularity and craze.
Moreover, many like to surprise their taste buds when they taste or discover it differently in some way, maybe in terms of flavour or preparation. Thankfully, the smart city citizens have a special version of the beverage to relish, namely tandoori chai. This amazing variety of tea created buzz after a Pune-based tea shop ‘Chai La’ started serving this unique concoction.
At Sai Vihar in Bomikhal, the recipe was recreated by two brothers, Kumar Ranjan Dash and Debasish Nayak, who were in the hotel industry for years. The duo was inspired by Pramod Bankar and Amol Rajdeo, the owners of Chai-La in Pune who came with idea of the unique concept of making tea and other beverages with the help of a tandoor.
Dash who until recently worked as a project manager in a luxury hotel was wooed by the very concept of making such a tea and he hoped that like him, it would be a unique experience for many in the city. “We did our research before venturing into this and found that from fashion to food, the people in the city craved for something different, novelty value so to say” Dash said. Dash along with Nayak started their initiative June 29, this year and since then it has been quite popular with people making it viral in the social media.
Detailing about the tandoori chai’s preparation, Nayak, Dash’s partner and a chef by profession, said, “This tea stands out from the average run-of-the-mill chais due to its unique style of preparation in which, at first the empty kulhad or clay pot is pre-heated in tandoor and then half prepared tea is poured in it. It eventually gets fully brewed.”
Dash mentioned that they were planning six more flavours in the coming days. “After Pune, Indore and Hyderabad, the recipe has entered the capital city and at present, we are serving just one flavour but we aim to add six more,” he informed.
Orissa POST interacted with some of the city chai lovers who are going gaga over this chai and coming regularly to Dash and Nayak’s joint to treat their taste buds.
Biswajit Nayak, a city based physiotherapy student, said, “Indubitably, there is no match to tandoori chai and being served in a kulhar is like a cherry at the top. It’s amazing as it’s rustic.”
For many like Chandrakanta Sahoo, whenever they get a chance to relish this tea, they do not have any second thoughts deciding it. “I always crave for flavoured tea and tandoori chai serves my purpose,” Sahoo said.
PREPARATION:
- Place the clay pot on a flame and heat it up for the next 10 minutes on a medium flame. Prepare the tea by boiling the water and adding sugar, tea leaves, lemon grass, mint leaves and other desired ingredients. Once the water starts boiling, add the milk and boil for two more minutes.2. With the help of a tea strainer, pour the tea in a glass jar. Now, carefully using tongs, place the clay pot in a deep pot/vessel, and start pouring the hot tea in it.3. The tea will start to bubble in the clay pot and would eventually ooze out. After few minutes, pour it in a clean clay pot.
Note: This cooking process is going to give the tea a very unique earthy flavour, along with a smoky taste.
Arindam Ganguly, OP