An Unlikely Food Spot

Yesterday I was in need of a late afternoon snack and decided to wander down E Pine in Capitol Hill.  What I found was an unlikely place for a spicy chai and delicious somosas filled with potatoes, peas and spices and served with a tamarind chutney and a fresh tasting green chutney that tasted of coriander (cilantro), lemon juice, green chilies, garlic and maybe even a little aam choor.  

The spot is a shop I have probably passed hundreds of times called Travelers where you can find a nice variety of goods mostly from India - herbs, spices, incense, books, clothing, accessories, essential oils, candles, jewelry and saris.  The real gem is the tea bar and cafe.  The cafe is open from lunch on Tuesday - Saturday 11:30 am - 3 pm and Sunday 12 pm - 3 pm.  The lunch menu includes things like spinach pakoras, samosas, naan pizza, parantha with or without aloo paneer, dal and saffron kheer. They are also open for dinner Friday, Saturday and Sunday 5 - 8 pm when they serve a full Thali that features to vegetables, dal, rice, salad, raita, fruit pickle, papadam and chutney.

Travelers serves a wonderfully spicy masala chai that they whip up themselves starting with the full bodied Assam black tea to which they add their own organic spice blend.  They give you the option of whole, non-fat milk, soy or rice milk.  You will also find mango lassi, a variety of fruit drinks, Limca soda, Thumbs-Up soda and a good selection black, green, white and herbal teas.

I can't wait to return on the weekend and try their Thali.  I'm so glad I discovered this place for myself because it's hard to find a good chai around here.  So tough that I have made it myself on occasion.  I don't have an exact recipe since I prepare it by taste and rarely measure anything, but I'll try my best to give you good estimates on the amounts.

 

Recipe Teardown

1. Gather the tea and spices.  Assam is preferred because of its malty flavor, you'll need 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of boiling water.  The spices I like to use are cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger root

2. Boil water.  The amount depends on how many cups you want to make.

3. Steep spices and tea for 5 minutes.  The result should be a beautiful rich amber color.

4. Add milk. I like to add the milk & coconut milk, bring it to boil and switch to low for 1 minute to really infuse the milk with the spices.  You can substitute with a non-dairy milk.

5. Enjoy.  Add a little honey if you like a sweet tea.

 

Recipe

Masala Chai

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 c. water

4 tsp. Assam tea

4 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 inch ginger root, peeled and grated

2 - 3 cloves

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. coconut cream

Honey to taste

Preparation

Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium sauce pan.  Turn off the heat and remove from burner.  Add the tea and the spices, cover with a lid and steep for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes add the milk and the coconut cream.  Return to the burner and turn the heat up to medium.  Bring the milk to a slow boil and stir constantly.  Boil for one minute, turn off the heat and remove from burner.

To serve, pour the tea through a tea filter into a tea pot.  Once you pour out into individual cups, each person can add a little honey if they like their tea sweet.  I know I do!

 

And now for a fun look at how the pros do it:

Posted via web from feast!