Made for Tea-ch Other:
You hear the pitter-patter of rain outside our window. The fresh aroma of the wet soil wafts in making you, almost involuntarily, open the kitchen cupboard and pull out the Chai Masala dabba and brew yourself a hot cuppa. That’s when you realise that there’s nothing in your pantry that you can munch on while sipping the delicious hot chai! To ensure you don’t rain on your own parade next time, add these must-have chai-time munchies to your grocery list, now!
Biscuits
It’s that one thing that you should never run out of and must always place right next to the dabba labeled ‘Chai Masala’ in your kitchen. Epics can be written about the friendship of chai and biscuit. It doesn’t matter which one you love: the classic Parle G or the infamous dog biscuit, once sandwiched with cream or the coconut ones sprinkled with sugar crystals… Chai-biscuit is BAE!
Khari
If you wish to give your late afternoon snack a slight twist, the flaky khari is again a classic. A close, sweeter relative is the rusk or the toast, sometimes with a hint of elaichi. There are uncles and aunties who still swear by the philosophy that any day is incomplete without khari and chai. Who can blame them!
Samosa
Weight-watchers, beware! If you’re worried about your waistline, you can skip this part and go straight to the next section, which you will have to skip again. But the samosa is the devil’s answer to ‘what should I order for tea-time?’ The deep-fried, crispy shell spiced with hing, jeera and dhania powder is the yummiest shield guarding the sinful potato filling which is perfectly flavored with coriander, saunf, cinnamon and garam masala. Hey! No regrets, right?
Aloo Bhujia
Irresistible. Addictive. Sinful. Every pack of Aloo Bhujia has must come with an addiction advisory label. The crunchy, lightly spiced threads that radiate the flavours of pudina, lime, chaat and garam masala, don’t come from Rajasthan, as is popularly believed and are most likely made in heaven. Something that turns your cup of chai into two cups of chai.
Pakoras
Here’s another something that goes perfectly with rain, chai masala and gossip. Pakoras are ultimate chai-time snacks that allow you to relish something homemade every once in a while. You can get creative with them too, experimenting with different fillings. Onion, potato and the big mirchi ones are the most common, but bhindi, ajwain leaf, brinjal and cauliflower make for tasty fillings too. Even your batter can be different if you try adding things like breadcrumbs, garam masala or mint in it.
So, that’s our list of top five chai accompaniments to make your late afternoon a not-so-dull one. Which one’s your all-time favourite?