As a young girl, I would slurp tea hurriedly, from a see-through pink saucer, while burning my tongue almost every time.

That memory still makes me smile.

I’m a coffee nut but tea is a massive part of my DNA. My mother used to boil a fresh pot every morning and again at tea time. We would have tea and toast, with a boiled egg or a bowl of warm porridge in winter, and in summer it was no different. It was tea and toast and then school. Or tea and toast and then off to the shop I’d go. Being a shopkeeper’s daughter was very simple. Life was a bit different but different in a good way.

The fragrance of masala tea was permanent and just like chocolate solves problems, a cup of tea went a long way in our home.

The key ingredient in every cup was ‘chano masalo’. I’m Gujerathi you see and my grandparents hail from India. Their habits became my father’s habits and his habits became my mother’s habits. Her habits have become mine.

I didn’t have the luxury of learning her tea masala recipe so I tried making my own. And I really think I’ve done a good job. This masala recipe is wonderfully spicy and fragrant. Add more than 1 tsp and you’ll kill a sore throat and a cough in one swoop.

Ingredients

100 g white pepper

1 tbsp black pepper

100 g ginger powder (or dried ginger)

1/8 cup cinnamon powder

1/4 cup elachi powder (cardamom)

1 tbsp nutmeg

handful of dried lemongrass (tea leaves) (You can omit this ingredient if you don’t have any)

Method

1. Mix the above ingredients in a blender until the lemongrass is finely mixed in.

2. 1 tsp of spice to 1/8 cup of loose tea/1 tea bag.

3. Boil this and then add milk.

4. When the milk starts to boil, be careful it doesn’t boil over. The process is quick.

5. Enjoy warm.