Thursday, January 13, 2011
Boil a cup of water. Pour it over a sachet filled with magic powder. Stir it thoroughly and voila! You have a cup of masala chai, without bothering about milk and sugar and tea. Isn’t it amazing? It’s nothing short of a miracle to me.
I was addicted to masala chai in Mumbai and drank at least ten cups of the sweet, milky boiled concoction every day. After I relocated to HK, I did not have access to masala chai in the office, and even at home, it didn’t taste the same. So imagine my delight when my friend from Mumbai (who else but the all-knowing Zehera Mecklai) brought a big packet of sachets of masala chai powder with her. I was a bit sceptical, wondering how something as delicious as masala chai could be commercialized and powdered and sealed in small sachets. But there they were in all their glory, ready to be enjoyed.
And so I am back to my normal “milk tea sipping” mode in the cold January in HK. These small practical innovations which bring a smile to the face of mere mortals like me are really worth celebrating.