Masala Chai (Masala Tea)

If you've never had your Chai 'cutting' style (or a strong, sweet coffee), chances are you weren't very loved by your Puneri friends. In all my days spent at Vaishali (which would probably be each day I was a student at Fergusson and most days after that) I never had the good fortune of having an entire cup of tea. Every time the waiter brought you your cup of tea, chances are that you'd have at least 2 empty glasses (one of them probably cracked) shoved right next to your cup. Just so you could 'cut' the chai by two. Chai never tastes as sweet in a styrofoam cup at Starbucks or even your own kitchen in New York City. Chai can only be enjoyed when one cup is divided into as many parts as there are people at the table. May there always be more people at your table than cups of Chai  

Ingredients: 

Per 1 cup of water
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp black CTC Indian tea (preferably orange pekoe)
1/2 inch cube of ginger (crushed)
4-5 cardamom seeds (crushed) or 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
1 clove
A small piece of cinnamon (or pinch of power)
Pinch of black pepper
3-4 pistils of saffron
1 piece of star anise per pot
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
Saffron
Milk 

Method: In a pot start boiling the water. Add ginger and all the dry spices to the water. When the water comes to a boil, add the sugar. Allow to boil till the sugar dissolves. After the sugar dissolves, add tea leaves and turn off immediately. Remove from the stove and cover with a lid. Allow the tea to steep for three minutes. Pour tea in a cup to 3/4 the cup. Add milk till it's the colour of He-man's skin. Add saffron and stir. Enjoy with Nice Time or Glucose-D biscuits.