The Book of Chai: History, stories and more than 60 recipes

by Mira Manek

The ritual of chai offers a moment to stop, to inhale, to feel awakened by the heady concoction of tea leaves and spices, to look out of the window and observe, to sit and let thoughts waft into thin air like the steam from the chai, a moment to breathe and sigh, to feel the heat of the spices absorb into the body, to feel the senses awaken from the tea, and for the sweetness to send a rush of energy to the brain.

This book is a celebration of chai, the delicious, spicy drink that is woven into the fabric of life in India, now rapidly growing in popularity and enjoyed across the world.

The Book of Chai presents 65 delicious recipes for chai, including recipes using chai spices and dishes to accompany chai. As well as explaining the health benefits and different techniques for making chai, this book contains chais for different seasons, times of day and moods. There are chais to wake you up, chais to soothe you after a stressful day and chais to help you sleep, as well as dirty chai, chocolate chai, and chais mixed with citrus and rosewater. More delicious recipes include lassis, chai spiced carrot cake, crispy pakoras and warming crumbles.

The Book of Chai also explores the fascinating history of the beverage and its role in Indian life and culture. Evocative 'chai stories' of the author's personal chai memories are blended throughout, bringing to life the importance of this drink and the way it brings family, history and culture together.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food History, Food

309 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2024

Reviews

[Gideon]

Interessante verhalen en heerlijke recepten!

[Rohini Bajekal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book of Chai is an absolute treasure! It’s full of stories that make me feel incredibly nostalgic and are the observations of life and people in India are heart-warming and astute. I also really appreciated the history and research that has gone into it and the author’s love of chai and its preparation really comes through the pages.

Looking forward to trying all the recipes - the saffron chai and masala beans are on my to do list! Highly recommend for anyone who is curious about the history of tea and loves storytelling.

[Gok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book to have on the kitchen shelf, with some chai recipes, breakfasts, and snacks.

But also the first half of the book is all about the history of chai; how tea leaves are grown; and other knowledgeable facts about tea.

There are heartwarming stories at the beginning of each chapter, from the authors own experiences, family stories, and trips to India.

[Karyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a tea lover, this was a book I wanted to check out the moment I seen it.
The author talks about the origins of Tea, its cultural and Historical significance.
She talks about her grandmother's life and how tea was a very important ritual for the family back then. There are many such short experiences she has shared about her journey through India.
There are Tea recipes and snack recipes.
My colleague recently introduced us to Lebu Cha (bengali Lemon tea) with a twist. I was happy to see that mentioned there too.
She talks about the various herbs and spices we include in our teas.
I did note down a few of the recipes for myself.
This book is mainly for those who want to know more about Tea and its benefits.
For some of us, we are very much happy with our local or home made brews.

[Arun Philips · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of tea (or chai) as Indians call it - the wars that were fought over it, and how in a relatively short period in history it’s become part of the cultural fabric of India and its people, also includes some fun chai recipes!

[Ekta Talwar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some recipes and stories are good but I dnt like much of it. Spices are specially called chai spice despite the fact that spices are used in various ways. we can't categorise them into chai spice.

[Prateek Vasisht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, combines history, personal perspective and recipes for tea and cakes etc to go with it.