The great Indian ginger Chai and the malai conundrum

[Cricketics]

So just saw @MechEng post about ginger tea in the food thread and then I felt like writing about especially about how good great ginger tea really is, especialy in cold weather. 

 

However, I have my love hate relationship with Chai especially because the “malai” which gets formed inside chai in few seconds right after you pour it in the cup. That skin(malai) which gets formed just looks ugly to me and even though you can get rid of it, I hate the look of it and rather not see it.

 

What do you guys feel about? Does it bring you that vomit or upkai kind of feeling when you see it in your Chai?  I love my ginger tea once in a while but I hate that thing malai thing. I wish I could avoid seeing it every time. Do you guys use any workaround other than keeping a spoon around to get rid of it? Or do you just drink with it?

 

 

 

Ginger tea otherwise is brilliant.

 

[Turning_track]

Prefer not having that malai thing on my tea or coffee but if it comes around I drink it. I don't get any vomit feeling but my buddies, cousins have the exact feeling which you aptly described by witnessing the layer. 

[maniac]

I can drink Indian chai anytime of the day or night....can’t live without chai....now add adrak to it=heaven

[zen]

I drink black tea so no issues such as the malai one

[randomGuy]

Love ginger tea and Chai pe charcha and take a long time finishing my cup of tea...I am no expert but I guess the key to not allowing the formation of malai is to keep have a small sip and keep shaking it a bit. Also, if some malai still forms, I am usually about to finish the cup and drink below the malai surface, empty the cup n leave the malai at the bottom. 

[maniac]

In India I spent 90% of my life in 2 places ...Mumbai and Hyderabad so you can deduce why I am a chai super fan.

[MechEng]

I take out the malai and consume it! In my childhood I would remove the malai from milk and smear it on the saucer plate, but somehow as time went by the cream formation did not bother me much and I would consume it whatever the beverage would be.

 

In India the roadside tea stalls would add both cardamom and ginger in the chai, the combination is heavenly with the only downside being that the original tea flavour disappears. So I would restrict to only one spice in chai - either ginger or elaichi.

[beetle]

Just fish out the malai from the chai with a spoon tics.Don't miss out on adhrak ki  chai because of the malai.

[Cricketics]

49 minutes ago, beetle said:

Just fish out the malai from the chai with a spoon tics.Don't miss out on adhrak ki  chai because of the malai.

Never miss out. I usually keep shaking or just use the spoon and then Nice-Time biscuit dubo dubo kar khao and chai piyo :)

[Cricketics]

2 hours ago, randomGuy said:

Love ginger tea and Chai pe charcha and take a long time finishing my cup of tea...I am no expert but I guess the key to not allowing the formation of malai is to keep have a small sip and keep shaking it a bit. Also, if some malai still forms, I am usually about to finish the cup and drink below the malai surface, empty the cup n leave the malai at the bottom. 

I do that or I blow some air. i think blowing air works great on garam garam chai to get rid of malai

[Cricketics]

2 hours ago, zen said:

I drink black tea so no issues such as the malai one

I have gotten used to green tea now for cleansing and working great, but malai will come with any chai which takes milk, so regular green tea or black tea works well that. 

[Turning_track]

6 minutes ago, Cricketics said:

I have gotten used to green tea now for cleansing and working great, but malai will come with any chai which takes milk, so regular green tea or black tea works well that. 

If you are into green tea, which brands do you prefer or like the taste of?

Here in India, I tried some but disliked the taste so dropped the idea of including it for my daily routine.

[nikred]

I was never much of a chai drinker but after marriage, thanks to my wife, I became a chai addict.

Now as a kid I used to hate malai formation and never liked it as an adult either. But recently I became adventurous and did the unthinkable. I slurped in the malai and realized it's not that bad. Actually it's pretty much tasteless and the texture did not bother me either.

Now I do not purposefully consume the malai but I believe I have overcome the hate and even if I accidentally consume it, it does not bother me anymore.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

[beetle]

4 hours ago, Turning_track said:

If you are into green tea, which brands do you prefer or like the taste of?

Here in India, I tried some but disliked the taste so dropped the idea of including it for my daily routine.

Have you tried tulsi chai?

By Organic India.....you can find it in medical shops too.

Use about less than half a tea spoon in one cup boiling water. Have it with honey or sugar.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by beetle

[Turning_track]

2 hours ago, beetle said:

Have you tried tulsi chai?

By Organic India.....you can find it in medical shops too.

Use about less than half a tea spoon in one cup boiling water. Have it with honey or sugar.

 

 

Will give it a try. 

[velu]

i like both tean and filter coffee.. i drink close to 700 to 750ml tea or coffee everyday 

[velu]

i use to take sukku coffee and sukku tea sold in tea stalls ,but recently only i realized that sukku mean dried ginger

 

[randomGuy]

38 minutes ago, velu said:

i use to take sukku coffee and sukku tea sold in tea stalls ,but recently only i realized that sukku mean dried ginger

 

In hindi, dried ginger is called saunth BTW. 

[maniac]

I love chai....love adrak in it....can bear elaichi that’s about it...I hate all these other flavored and masala chais that you get on the market m...gives me a headache.

[coffee_rules]

Malai is good, happens if the milk is not homogenized,  it gives the taste like cheese gives to pizza, I dont mind the malai at all.