Plushness

Chai Virgins

Wasma, if you're a chai virgin (& how a friend of mine can be a chai virgin is BEYOND me, but i will blame it on your geographical distance from our house and from India) then you must try our chai & chai haleeb.

People drive for miles for them.

Bess, ya, i never tasted chai i liked in Jeddah. It may be the water. So i would suggest you make it out of bottled water. Makes a HUGE difference.

Moreover, for plain 'estekana' or ‘Sulaimani’ tea, i like 'Qualitea' with Spanish saffron or mint leaves freshly picked from your garden (none of that hairy mint leaf you find at the supermarkets). Flavoured and speciality teas come at a later stage of maturity, but you may like Vanilla tea.

For chai haleeb (tea with milk), freshly ground cardamom is a must, and the stronger the tea the better. My favorites are Tetley, or chai alwezza (ceylon tea with the Swan logo).

Key is in making sure the chai is strong BEFORE you add the milk, then boil with milk (Carnation, or Bonny- Saudi name for Nestle's evaporated milk). Perfect for dunking biscuits (or if you're a chicken nugget (CN) or a 'non-dairy creamer' (same as a CN but in Saudi), you can call them 'cookies').

If you prefer fresh milk, then boil with tea & cardamom from the start on low heat.