Masala Chai ka Methods

There are four ways to make Wagh Bakhri Masala Chai with a microwave:

Method 1

1. Fill a Cup 5/6 of the way with Water.
2. Heat the cup in the Microwave for 1 Minute.
3. Place a Wagh Bakhri Masala Chai Tea Bag into the cup and wiggle it around to get the masala moving.
4. Add a little Milk.
5. Heat the cup for 30 Seconds.
6. Take the cup out, pull out the tea bag and place it against the back of a Spoon. Wrap the bag String around the spoon until there’s no more to wrap so that the bag stays in place.
7. Use the Paper Tag at the end of the string to press down on the bag and make sure all the liquid (masala-infused milk and water) is squeezed into the cup.
8. Unwind the string, and take it along with the bag and tag and throw them away.
9. Add 5 Spoons of Sugar.
10. Stir with the spoon.

Method 2

1. Fill a Cup 5/6 of the way with Water.
2. Heat the cup in the Microwave for 1 Minute.
3. Place a Wagh Bakhri Masala Chai Tea Bag into the cup and wiggle it around.
4. Add a little Milk.
5. Heat the cup for 30 Seconds.
6. Take the cup out, pull out the tea bag and place it against the back of a Spoon. Wrap the bag String around the spoon until there’s no more to wrap so that the bag stays in place.
7. Take a Second Spoon. Press the bag between the backs of both the spoons and make sure all the liquid (masala-infused milk and water) is squeezed into the cup.
8. Throw the second spoon into the sink.
9. Unwind the string from the first spoon, and throw the tea bag away.
10. Add 5 Spoons of Sugar.
11. Stir.

Method 3

1. Fill a Cup 5/6 of the way with Water.
2. Place a Wagh Bakhri Masala Chai Tea Bag into the cup.
3. Heat the cup in the Microwave for 1 Minute.
4. Take the cup out, pull out the tea bag and place it against the back of a Spoon. Wrap the bag String around the spoon until there’s no more to wrap so that the bag stays in place.
5. Use either the Tag or a Second Spoon to make sure all the liquid (masala-infused milk and water) from the tea bag is squeezed into the cup.
6. If you used a second spoon: Throw the second spoon into the sink.
7. Unwind the string from the (first) spoon, and throw the tea bag away.
8. Add a little Milk and stir.
9. Heat the cup for 30 Seconds.
10. Add 5 Spoons of Sugar.
11. Stir.

Method 4

1. Fill a Cup 5/6 of the way with Water.
2. Place a Wagh Bakhri Masala Chai Tea Bag into the cup.
3. Heat the cup in the Microwave for 2 Minutes.
4. Take the cup out, pull out the tea bag and place it against the back of a Spoon. Wrap the bag String around the spoon until there’s no more to wrap so that the bag stays in place.
5. Use either the Tag or a Second Spoon to make sure all the liquid (masala-infused milk and water) from the tea bag is squeezed into the cup. (The second spoon would be better because touching the tea bag directly with nothing but a paper tag between your fingers and the bag might burn you).
6. If you used a second spoon: Throw the second spoon into the sink.
7. Unwind the string from the (first) spoon, and throw the tea bag away.
8. Add a little Milk and 5 Spoons of Sugar.
9. Stir.

They might seem like the same thing but they’re not.

The other day I was making some chai and it occured to me that there are many ways in which chai is made. In which everything is made. In which everything is done. Choosing your path is simply that — a choice.

And it occurs to me there is no one good way. There are better ways, there are worse ways, there are what we want to do versus what we need to. And there’s room for change based on desire and necessity.

I like my chai warm rather than hot so I don’t mind adding milk at the very end or heating it for less time if I add the milk in the middle. My dad hates warm. It’s gotta be hot. He, like many (not all, but many) older South Asian men, has developed a tolerance for hot drink and food. For him, I’ll have to heat the chai longer. Not to mention, I’ll need to use a different kind of milk and sweetener. Meanwhile, because I can’t taste sugar well enough in drinks, I’ll need those five spoons. My boyfriend needs none. He can taste sugar very easily.

And the many methods of making masala chai and all the alterations possible directly correlate with the many ways in which you can do almost anything. The key word here isn’t “Masala Chai”. It’s “Methods”.

By the way, while I do love Wagh Bakhri, this is NOT a professional endorsement and I am NOT profiting (monetarily or otherwise) by telling you: Definitely check out Wagh Bakhri Masala Chai. Bahut masti hai!