Nepalese Tea

I remember that day as if it were yesterday. My birthday this year, early spring, still rather winter in Germany. Saturday morning, I was on the train on my way from Frankfurt to Marburg to meet a guy I didn’t know but whose room I was living in. The weather was crispy cold – “frisch” in German, nothing to do with fresh in this case.
I’m not sure what I was expecting but what I got was a warm welcome and the best tea I had ever had in my life – hot, freshly boiled, just what I needed to get pleasantly warm. Oh, and a present! And a new friend who is here to stay, I hope :)

In the end, of course, we went to the supermarket, bought ten cans of beer and drank them by the river. But it all started with the tea. Nepalese tea, he said. The way they drink it in Nepal. With lots of milk and sugar.
So here it is, Deepu Wagle’s Nepalese tea.



You need:
2 cups water
2 cups milk
4 tsp black tea or 3 tea bags
4 tbsp sugar
3 cardamom pods
Ginger, cut in cubes (I use a piece the size of my thumb)
A cinnamon stick (this is my addition)



You do:
1. Boil the water together with the milk in a pot (do not cover it)
2. Reduce the heat and add the tea, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon
3. Simmer for about 7-10 minutes
4. Add the sugar, simmer a couple of minutes more
5. Cover the pot and leave for several minutes after you turn the heat off, so that all aromas can blend and infuse the liquid
6. Pour in a cup and there you go.



Best enjoyed with a good company and a piece of chocolate.