Bahrain

Bahrain

I've been debating how much time I can devote to my blog right now. I'm working on a very intense 12 week course related to work. It's not a course that is essential to my job, but it is good reference for my job. It's also a major time commitment. There's a big test at the end where I could get an additional certification that has no bearing on my current job. It's one of those things that might give me more job options in the future, or might be something that I would never, ever use. So much "adulting" in life, so how about a little fun?

Today's destination is Bahrain. This is an Arab state consisting of a main island, and about 30 smaller islands in the Persian Gulf. It is only 15 miles from Saudi Arabia, and a causeway connects them to the mainland. While it is said that coffee is popular there, I'm more interested in their tea (big surprise considering this is a blog about tea). 

I saw several, general descriptions, so I made things up a bit. I found resources referring to Karak chai (spicy milk tea). Since we are back to the Middle East, I decided to use cardamom, cloves, and ginger. The instructions said to use a strong, black Indian tea, so I used Assam (because it was in my big bag of tea making supplies, and much easier to get than my big box of Indian tea that happened to be just out of reach without a step stool to stand on). They also mentioned using evaporated milk (cardamom flavored if available), so I decided to try canned milk again. I seem to be learning more about making tea as I go along, so I decided to take a chance (especially since I survived tea with powdered milk). 

I didn't realize how fuzzy this picture was until I pulled it up on my computer. Also, enjoy the orchid leaves in the edge of the frame. They are taking over!

Oh, how I love whole, dried ginger now that I know to pulverize it first (note the mortar and pestle just waiting in the background). I used 4 cracked cardamom pods, and 3 ground cloves as well. I simmered them in 500 mL (2 cups) of water for 5 minutes. then I added a heaping tablespoon of tea and about 60 mL (1/4 cup) of evaporated milk, and simmered another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

This looks good. It has a nice color, and one of the videos stressed that you needed to cook the milk a bit, so that's what I tried. Then I tried to strain it into my little teapot, and made quite a mess in the process. My small teapot has a tiny opening, and there was a lot of stuff in my tea strainer, which made aiming the tea difficult. At least I was working on a surface that could be wiped easily, and I didn't have any sugar in it, so no sticky residue (no treat for you counter ants!). 

Several resources mentioned serving it unsweetened, and letting people decide how much sugar they want in it. I opted for no sugar as usual. I saw many cup styles for the tea to be served in. They tended to be small cups, but I was partial to the serving in Turkish tea cups (hey, I have them!)

I also find Turkish tea cups nice for drinking tea in the summer because it facilitates the tea cooling down quicker. While I'm not a huge fan of cold tea, I do prefer it to be a little cooler in the warmer months.

Now for the big question. How was the tea with canned milk this time? 

It was good! The milk added a nice, creamy texture. Thanks to the spices and the stronger tea, there wasn't any canned milk flavor coming through. I managed to get a nice balance in the flavor of the spices (totally by chance on the first try!). It was a nice beverage to sip while I studied this morning.