masala tea (chai)

quite a few non-indians are fascinated by the indian version of tea containing all kinds of flavors! Well the tea in villages uses tulsi (a version of basil which has two types "raam tulsi" and "shyaam tulsi", the latter being tastier and stronger while the former is bigger in size), fresh-ground cardamom and ginger, and i personally feel that it's the best tea ever. but in cities, the tea is made using a masala tea powder which is a blend of various spices such as cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom, a litttttttttle black pepper and clove, and more.

anyways, i would like to put the village version over here.

for two cups -

1 cup milk
2 cups water (1 cup evaporates)
about 10 leaves of tulsi
a small piece of ginger (best grated, but can also crush it)
sugar (i like 2 teaspoons per cup with this kind of tea)
2 tea bags (i like lipton)/ 3 teaspoons tea powder (if you can get your hands on it - taj mahal)

add the tulsi and ginger to the water and bring it to a boil. add the tea and sugar and boil for about 2 mins, the milk and another 2-3 mins and you have your tea :)

cheers
gaurav