Zanzibar Spice Tea

Passport & Plate - Zanzibar Spice Chai

Ingredients
6 cups of water
2 tsp of Black loose leaf tea
1 stalk of lemongrass
1 and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1tsp of crushed cardamom
1/2 tsp of cloves
1 inch of fresh ginger

 

How to prepare this recipe
Cut the ginger into small pieces and crush them using a mortar and pestle. This will release the essential oils.
Crush the cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle. The soft, inner seeds will emerge.
Twist the leaves of the lemongrass and bruise the round edges to release it's essential oils.
Place the tea, lemongrass, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in 6 cups of water in a pan.
Bring to boil.
Sieve the tea and drink while hot.
Serves 4.

 

The story behind this recipe
Nine years ago I was volunteering at a film festival on the island of Zanzibar, off Tanzania in the East African coast. The festival is held in Stone town which is at the ocean front. During the festival months, which also happen to be the warmest months, a night market comes alive at the waters edge. Everything from sugar cane juice to sea food is sold at the market to locals and tourists alike. While meandering through various sellers and their goodies, I discovered a man selling tea or chai, as we call it all over East Africa. Scents of lemongrass wafted through the air as he brewed and served the tea. I learnt that his name was Babu Chai. Babu means grandfather in Kiswahili, a language spoken in Zanzibar. For several years he had brewed his well loved chai and was essentially baptized Babu Chai by the locals. Besides lemongrass, his tea carried with it notes of ginger, cloves and cardamom. After brewing the tea, he would serve it in a cup, ask if you needed any sugar to sweeten it, and present you a precious cup of tea. It was love at first sight, with this chai. So every night for the entire month I was there, I would find Babu Chai and drink two cups of his tea.
Sitting on a bench under the night sky, drinking lemongrass tea and listening to the waves of the ocean. Bliss.