Chai and Indian Almond Croissant

Location: Taxi stand, Kovalam, Kerala, India

Date: 12 January 2009

Details: Chai with an Indian pastry

Notes:

This chai wallah served a fantastic shot of chai for the grand sum of 5Rs - less than 10p. His stall was close to the taxi stand in Kovalam so he was busy all day from 8am until early evening. Watching the chai being prepared is great street-theatre. The milk is heated with spices (cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, peppercorns, cloves) and then the hot tea is strained into it. Then the wallah pours it from above his head into the tiny glasses. Aerating it like this supposedly brings out the flavours, and it certainly makes it more aromatic.

The pastry was a kind of Indian almond croissant. Again, only 5Rs. The wallah told us it was called a "baps" or something... Imagine a Peshwari naan morphed into a croissant. Delicious. Nick would scoff four in a row if I wasn't watching him.