Tea is a hot drink made by infusing the dried crushed leaves of the tea plant in boiling water. When you think of tea you may often imagine the Brits with their tea and crumpets or the Boston Tea Party. As Americans, that is often the mental image we have attached to tea, however, coming from an immigrant family from Punjab, India, my view of tea is different.
When I was young I would see my parents drink their morning and afternoon tea every single day. If my mother didn’t get her daily dose of tea, she’d have a raging headache all day. Whenever I tasted it, I thought it was disgusting and couldn’t fathom the fact that my parents genuinely were addicted to this disgusting potion. If I ever got sick, my mother would force me to drink a piping hot cup of tea, cha as we called it. To me drinking cha felt like a punishment, this soon changed. As I got older, I noticed people would order drinks like “chai tea” at Starbucks and I would be so confused. All they were saying was “tea tea” because chai and tea mean the same thing. I tasted this “chai tea” and realized it was a watered down version of traditional cha.
My mother started to offer me cha when I got older and would do homework late at night, I’d say yes. Drinking cha again, made me realize how much my taste buds had evolved and how grateful I was to not have to order “chai teas.” Now cha has become a huge part of my daily life. I drink a cup of cha every day and it is often the best part of my day. My cousin-sisters, sister, aunt, and mother all enjoy each other's company while drinking our cha. Often it is the only time we are able to catch up with one another with our busy schedules. Not only did cha help me bond with my family but it also brought me closer to my culture.
Today I am going to teach you guys step by step, how to make traditional Punjabi cha! (I asked Mama how much the exact measurements were and she said “whatever your heart tells you is the right amount.” That for you is a Punjabi mother response)
First, add one cup of water in a steel pot pan.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRWnikaaSji4UDytGBNY6fuLXPC9cc1itCZTC-59LOOdk-9Im67L2pplJciKOPimCr1wKg:https://images.getrecipekit.com/20220610124419-spiced-20pork-20tenderloin-20-1.png%3Faspect_ratio%3D16:9%26quality%3D90%26&usqp=CAU
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTuPSQJSMYJ5Vw8l4ZXlFPTiB9GovhXqy67fbpgSoQgSrKIkb5WTsTcQr0POpefddFZWgU:https://i0.wp.com/www.onceuponachef.com/images/2019/09/How-to-Grate-and-Chop-Ginger-5.jpg%3Fresize%3D760%252C553%26ssl%3D1&usqp=CAU
No comments:
Post a Comment