milk tea recipe nepal Drea's Food Adventures. Tea, otherwise known as chia in Nepalese, is the national drink in Nepal. Nepal is a tea heaven. It is available everywhere, 24/7 and for not even 10 cents a cup on the street you can have as much of it as you can handle. The quality of the tea leaves is not the best in the world, but the key to this delicious drink is all in the preparation and the other ingredients (especially for their spiced tea). Most of the tea available in Nepal is a black tea - white or green are extremely hard to find and once you find it, it's probably in a teabag (clearly inferior to good ol' loose leaf!). The black tea variations consist of black tea, milk tea, or dud chia , and spiced tea, or masala chia . Chia means tea in Nepali and, confusingly enough, Chai is tea in Hindi. The other varieties are mostly herbal and consist of ginger tea, lemon tea, honey ginger lemon tea, jasmine or mint tea. The tibetan variety, butter tea, was left untouched. I had it once or twice when I was in Tibet in 2008 and it was enough to last a lifetime. Butter tea is literally hot piping butter (usually from yak or cow) and it feels like drinking a soupy chapstick. No thanks!! In most places, tea is very cheap and it's fun to drink - at some points I swear we were having 10 cups of tea a day. Here's a breakdown of tea in Nepal (in order of my personal preference): Black Teas Masala chia Loving the masala chia If you've ever had 'chai' tea or spiced tea, Indian style, that's exactly what masala chia is. Funny thing is, for a westerner, 'chai' is a kind of tea just like a 'latte' is a kind of tea, but in Hindi, 'chai' just means tea. When getting a "chai tea", it's the same as just ordering a "tea tea." Masala chia, meaning spiced tea, was my favorite kind of tea in Nepal. Fresh spices such as ginger, pepper, cinnamon and cardamom are ground and added to black tea with milk (strained before serving). As with any black tea, whole milk is used. We usually asked for our masala chia without sugar because the Nepalese way was a bit too sweet for our tastebuds but sometimes, especially during our long trek, we welcomed the extra sweetness. Dud chia A very close second to masala chia, this milk tea is just black tea with whole milk and a little (or a lot) of sugar. It's great for the mornings or during a tea break in the afternoon. We didn't always get it loose leaf though, some of our destinations were too remote and we had to resort to the teabag. Tea and crosswords, what else could you ask for! Just black tea This was just hot water and black tea, nothing to write home about but very handy once your stomach starts giving you problems. Milk is not always ideal to have, especially when sick so black tea was a good alternative and it also helped us with some headaches (in lieu of coffee). Herbals Real lemon on my HGLT! Honey ginger lemon tea (HGLT) My favorite, by far, of the 'herbals' offered in Nepal. This tea is great for a sore throat or a cold. The unfortunate part is that the 'lemon' is not natural, it comes from a powder, and the herbal tea was almost always in a teabag. Regardless, the nice hot mixture of honey, ginger (real ginger!), lemon and tea was a life-saver plenty of times. Ginger tea Hot water plus freshly shaved ginger is another good one if you're sick. Sometimes they didn't have HGLT so the plain ginger tea was a good enough alternative. Ginger all along the bottom Mint tea Mint grows everywhere and it was a good night-time beverage. All they did was add fresh mint to boiling hot water. Usually we'd down a giant thermos of mint tea prior to dinner, just to keep warm. Jasmine Matcha! This was just jasmine tea in a teabag. Got it once or twice, and the 'jasmine' taste wasn't really there. Green tea! I only really had it once. It was on ABC and it was given to me as a present by a Japanese trekker. He brought small packets of matcha (green tea powder) from Japan and even though it was 'inferior' to the real deal, it was so good sipping on my favorite kind of tea! Top 10 Nepalese Recipes. Nepal’s gastronomy is just as diverse and colorful as its culture and people. Nepalese recipes are simple, easy to cook, and highly nutritious. The secret lies in the various spices they use. Nepalese cuisine is influenced by its neighboring countries Tibet and India. In most dishes, ginger, garlic, turmeric, fresh chilies, coriander, and ground cumin is generously used. The national dish called Dal Bhat represents the main elements of the Nepali kitchen: rice, pulses (mostly lentil), and curry. Nepali people eat this dish every day, sometimes even more than once a day. There is a vast selection of vegetarian food, so non-meat eaters will have no trouble finding the right food. If you plan to visit this beautiful Himalayan country, the following list will give you some ideas of what to try once you are there. If you are back home, why not try something new? Bring some new flavors into your kitchen from Nepal. 1. Nepalese Chicken Dumplings – Momos. These delicious momos will be everyone’s favorite. Perfect for a main course or snack, fried or steamed with chili dip or ketchup. 2. Nepalese Noodle Soup – Thukpa. Traditional hearty soup from the Himalayas. It can be easily cooked without chicken to make it suitable for vegetarians. Ginger adds an interesting twist to the flavor. 3. Nepali Mutton Curry – Khasi Ko Masu. With this curry, you can not go wrong. A great choice for a big dinner party. Buy some ready-made naans or chapatis and serve it with tender Basmati rice. 4. Nepali Veggie Rice – Vegetable Pulao. This is a super light dish, a perfect light dinner. By using seasonal vegetables, you can create new variations according to your taste. 5. Stir-Fried Eggplant – Bhutuwa. Tender and delicious roasted vegetables with rice and super tasty tomato pickle, Achar in Nepalese. If you want to get a hearty meal, why not try Lamb Bhutuwa. 6. Nepali Beans Stew – Kwasi. The Nepalese Chili Con Carne without sweetcorn. Easy to prepare and super nutritious. Just remember to soak the beans overnight! 7. Traditional Nepali Set – Dal Bhat. Recipe via www.cravingfresh.com. Dal Bhat is the national dish of Nepal. If you ask a Nepali what did he have for lunch, the answer will be Dal Bhat. And no, he doesn’t mind having it again for dinner. 8. Savory Cauliflower Snack – Pakora. Okay, okay, deep-fried is not so healthy. But once in a while, you can have it. Serve it with fresh and healthy yogurt dip to feel less bad about the calories. 9. Special Nepalese Bread – Gwaramari. This traditional Nepalese snack, often eaten for breakfast with a cup of black tea or Masala tea, is a real kick-off start for the day. 10. Nepali Milk Tea – Masala Tea or Chai. Black tea cooked with milk and spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, etc.) is a common drink in India and Nepal. Dip in some biscuits or use honey as a sweetener. Your Golden Hour Drink. I never thought one of my childhood memories would become such a popular trendy thing. I remember my mom making me a warm drink before bed with turmeric, milk, and other spices. Currently, Golden Milk is at its peak trend enjoyed by many Americans and people around the world. History: The g olden milk recipe shares its ancestry with Ayurvedic Medicine dating back thousands of years. It is said that Turmeric milk supports and enhances vitality called Ojas in Sanskrit. With the richness of a variety of herbs and creamy texture, it sets the perfect stage for your golden hour. The gold ingredient of the golden milk is none other than turmeric called Curcuma Longa in Latin. Recipe : Ingredients 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 cup of milk*, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cardamom, 3-5 saffron strands, ½ teaspoon of freshly chopped ginger. - Bring a cup of milk to boil. - Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric and stir. - Add ½ teaspoon of each of these spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger to the milk and steep for 3- 5 min. - Add 3-5 strands of saffron and add sugar or honey to taste. * You may also use non-dairy milk as a substitute such as oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk. Sit with a cup while you read about the golden milk benefits of different ingredients: Curcuma Longa: Curcuma Longa has its origin in South Asia and the herb is part of the Zingerbacia family . Turmeric has been traditionally used for anti-inflammatory purposes. Curcumin is the major constituent of the turmeric that is associated with health benefits and growing scientific research interest. Turmeric by itself is exceedingly difficult to absorb by our body. However, our ancestors got this right, they taught us to use it in oil or milk fat which helps the absorption and makes it bioavailable for our body. Similarly, another way to improve its absorption by 2000% is by adding pepper ( piper nigrum ) to the turmeric.