Chai Masala #FoodieReads

Serendipitously I received a canister of Chai Masala from Diaspora Co. while I was reading The Tea Planter's Club by Ann Bennett. This is another book I read in my South Asian and Southeast Asian-set novels parade.

On the Page

The Tea Planter's Club by Ann Bennett takes place in Calcutta and Burma during World War II and the 1980s. Two sisters, Edith and Betty, leave London for Calcutta to build a new life after the death of their parents. They end up at the eponymous Tea Planter's Club, a hotel in Calcutta.

Edith makes a connection with Robert, a businessman from Burma, then Betty steals him right out from under her. Betty and Robert marry and return to Burma. While she mourns the loss of her love and her sister, the Tea Planter's Club owner, Gregory Mayhew, offers her a place to stay and promise of a life. He acknowledges that she doesn't love him the way she loves Robert, but hopes that she will grow to love him.

That sounds needlessly soap-operay. It didn't feel that way when I was reading it. This was more a vivid account of a brutal period during war, and a tear-jerking exploration of trauma and loss. Betty disappeared while attempting a mountain crossing from Burma to escape the Japanese incursion. And Edith never knew what happened to her sister in 1942. Flash forward to 1980 Edith follows the trail to a plantation in Assam, finds her sister's journal, and Betty's grave.

I will definitely be looking for more books by Ann Bennett. Her prose was beautiful and evocative. I felt as if I were in those mountains, trekking for my own survival.

There was quite a lot of food on the pages.

"The bearer brought their meal out onto the veranda and Edith discovered she was ravenously hungry. She tucked into a delicious duck curry cooked with gourd, that Richard said was a speciality of the region. 'Maybe I should introduce Assamese food at the restaurant…' she began before remembering" (pg. 138).

"She fell silent as the bearer brought the meal. This time it was chicken korma and rice. It smelled delicious and Edith realised (sic) that she was ravenous" (pg. 198).

"When I reached the head of the queue, I was given a plate of vegetable curry and rice and a mug of tea. I found a place on the bare earth to sit down" (pg. 236).

But what sent me to the kitchen was the ubiquitous cup of tea: chai. Throughout Betty's trek across the mountains, chai was one of the only constants that she had to fill her belly and the baby's bottle. Oh, yeah, there's a baby on that trek. But no spoilers from me!

In the Cup

Masala Chai is a family favorite and it's super simple. But I did want to point out a couple of things because words matter and I try to be as precise as I can. Chai means 'tea'. Masala means 'spiced'. So this is just spiced tea. If you go to one of those corporate coffee chains and see 'Chai Tea', you can just give a little chuckle that they are offering Tea Tea.

This canister from Diaspora Co. is an unsweetened blend of ground spices. It doesn't include any tea. You have to add your own.

Ingredients

serves 3

• 3 teaspoons spice blend

• 4 tea bags black tea, approximately 4 teaspoons

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1-1/2 cups whole milk

• 3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar or more if desired

Procedure

Place the spices and tea in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Add in the milk. Bring to a simmer again. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes to let the flavors infuse. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved.

Pour tea through a fine-mesh sieve. Serve hot.

I am adding this to the July #FoodieReads link-up.