Chai ya tangawizi which translates to ginger tea in Swahili is a beloved way to make tea in Kenya and Tanzania. The ginger adds an earthy heat to a deliciously spiced tea making it the perfect breakfast beverage to start the day. This recipe is one I have loved for most of my life and I hope you love it too. In this recipe post, you will a breakdown of ingredients, some history and tips on acheiving the perfect cup of chai that is also dairy free.
What is Chai Ya Tangawizi
Chai ya tangawizi is a spiced tea drink enjoyed in many East African homes. Spiced teas and beverages are a hallmark of various cultures found around the Indian Ocean — popular examples that pertain to Swahili culture includes Zanzibari Kahawa Chungu — Bitter Coffee.
However, the explosion of present day tea culture is a relatively new phenomenon in East Africa.
After stealing thousand of seedling and seeds of tea along with the methods and processing of tea, the British sought to control production of tea by establishing tea plantation all over their colonies. First it was in the Assam region of present day India, which already had a history of growing tea, and by the early 1900s, tea plantations were also established in Kenya. Along with British colonization came the coerced migration of millions of Indian indentured workers across the colonies, and some were brought to build railroads in East Africa. Britain had already campaigned heavily to get millions of their colonized subjects to drink tea, just as much as they were obsessed, and also to continue to drive demand for tea production. This began the modern day chai culture.
Tea was easily adopted across East Africa merging with local traditions, and the growing Indian population further influenced tea culture. Now a cup of chai ya tangawizi or chai ya maziwa (milk tea) are now staples on the breakfast table — spiced teas with Swahili flair.
Why you will love this Chai ya Tangawizi
- It is very simple to make
- You can customize the recipe to your personal preference. All you really need is water, tea and ginger. Everything else can be optional.
- It is incredibly fragrant and perfect for a breakfast beverage.
Chai ya Tangawizi Ingredients
- Loose leaf black tea, preferably CTC (cut, tear, curl). CTC is a method of processing tea leaves to get smaller pieces of tea leaves that can allow for a stronger richer brew of tea, with enough body to support the diversity of spices the tea can be brewed with. This is the more popular form of tea produced in Kenya. This type of tea is also prefered for Indian Masala Chia so can be purchased as at any South Asian grocery store. Alternatively use what ever loose leaf black tea you have access to.
- Fresh Ginger. Crushed ginger mixes well and gives the strong spicy gingery flavour.
- Whole Green Cardamom. Cardamom is a hallmark spice in Swahili cooking and adds a really nice fragrance and aroma to the tea. To ensure maximum flavour, just loosely crush the spice so the seeds are also exposed
- Cloves (optional). Cloves have been grown in East Africa for centuries and add a war aroma to the tea
- Cinnamon Bark (optional). Cinnamon adds a sweet flavour to the tea.
- Milk. To keep this vegan, I use soy milk. I find that other milks separate very easily but soy has always held up well for me because it can handle higher temperatures. I use room temperature milk not to reduce the temperature too much.
- Sugar. I prefer brown sugar because the molasses in the brown sugar adds a nice flavour but any sweetener works best. there are no sugar quantities, just sweeten to your preference.
How to Make Chai Ya Tangawizi
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. I prefer half and half water to milk and I do a 1 to 1 ratio of tea to water. So if I use 2 cups of water, I use 2 tablespoons of tea leaves.
- Add fresh ginger and spices and boil for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the tea leaves and boil on medium high for at least five minutes. You want to boil this vigorously to ensure the tea is sufficiently mixing with the water and spices.
- Go in with the room temperature milk and boil for another 5 minutes. Allow the tea to bubble up to ensure everything is mixing well.
- Turn off the pot, add sweetener of choice. Strain the tea then serve.
Want to try more East African Recipes?
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 large thumb size ginger finely chopped
- 2 small cinnamon sticks
- 5 cardamom pods lightly crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
- 2 tablespoons loose leaf black tea preferably CTC
- 2 cups of soy milk** preferably at room temperature
- Sugar to personal preference
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add the fresh ginger and spices (cloves, cardamom and cinnamon) and boil for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the tea leaves and boil on medium high for at least five minutes. You want to boil this vigorously to ensure the tea is sufficiently mixing with the water and spices.
- Add the milk and boil for another 5 minutes. Allow the tea to bubble up to ensure everything is mixing well.
- Turn off the pot, add sugar to your personal preference. Strain the tea then serve.