Recipe By Sanjeev Kapoor from the book How to Cook Indian

This recipe comes from the west coast of India: The Gujaratis love it! Serve it on a rainy day with a plate of pakoras (fritters)—it is simply heavenly.

Note from FIT: In this recipe there are two teaspoons of sugar per 8 ounces; a similar quantity of soda has about 6-7. This still makes a very sweet drink, so you can reduce the amount even more. It can make a very satisfying dessert on its own.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups (400 ml) milk
• 4 to 5 small stalks fresh lemongrass, chopped
• 4 teaspoons black tea leaves
• ½ teaspoon chai masala (spice mix for tea)
• 8 teaspoons sugar

Directions

1. Put the milk and 2 cups (400 ml) water in a nonstick saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the lemongrass, tea leaves, and chai masala, and boil for 1 minute. Add the sugar. When it comes to a boil again, lower the heat to low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Strain into individual cups and serve piping hot.