Tea, me and its history...

hi and sorry for being away for a while... havent posted anything for the past two days,the reason being cought by a fever.now am back to blogging along with caring for myself and my family... alishas doing fine and so is arayan.recently both were unwell but now they're doing great.life isnt moving at full pace... seems the rains have bought a stop to life! back with some mouth watering dishes and some secrets to great cooking, my way.

do you love tea? i do and i can never begin my day without a hot cuppa tea... coffee is great for the winters though but i'l prefer tea.i do add one or two pieces of elachi and some ginger to bring out a perfect tangy taste esp after some hot spicy garam pakoras:))...

one of my own favorite recipes for spiced tea... nothing too exotic, so this is a great choice for the beginner chai maker.

INGREDIENTS:
4 tsp loose tea, usually black
1 piece of dry ginger
3 cardamom pods, crushed
3 whole cloves
1 piece of cinnamon stick
Milk and sugar to taste

PREPARATION:
Chop up ginger into fine pieces, and break up cinnamon stick. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then add tea leaves and all the spices. Let everything brew at boiling for 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from heat, then let steep at room temperature for another minute.
Strain out the tea and pieces of spice. Serve hot and fragrant, with only a touch of milk or sugar.

what, wont you like some pakoras too?
Pakoras - Vegetable Pakora

Ingredients
2 cups of vegetables, cut into large pieces
(You can use green bell pepper, cauliflower, onions, etc)
1 cup besan(bengal gram flour)
1/4 cup water
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
A pinch of hing(asoefetida)
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method
Made a thick batter with the water, flour, red chilli
powder, cumin, hing and salt.
Coat each vegetable piece with this batter and deep fry.
Serve with tomato ketchup.


now,if you love tea you should be knowing the history behind it??

As legend has it, one day in 2737 B.C. the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was boiling drinking water over an open fire, believing that those who drank boiled water were healthier. Some leaves from a nearby Camellia sinensis plant floated into the pot. The emperor drank the mixture and declared it gave one "vigor of body, contentment of mind, and determination of purpose."
Perhaps as testament to the emperor's assessment, tea--the potion he unwittingly brewed that day--today is second only to water in worldwide consumption. The U.S. population is drinking its fair share of the brew; in 1994, Americans drank 2.25 billion gallons of tea in one form or another--hot, iced, spiced, flavored, with or without sugar, honey, milk, cream, or lemon.

A serving of tea generally contains about 40 milligrams of caffeine (less than half as much caffeine as in coffee), but the actual levels vary depending on the specific blend and the strength of the brew. Decaffeinated tea is also available.

Many tea drinkers find the beverage soothing, and folk medicine has long valued it as a remedy for sore throats and unsettled stomachs. Recent studies have shown that certain chemicals in tea called polyphenols may help reduce the risk of far more serious illnesses, including atherosclerosis and some cancers, although the data are not conclusive.

i know now and so do you... tea, an addiction to you??