Ingredients
Tea
- 3 tbspstrong black tea leaves, or 4 tea bags
- 500 mlwater
Sweetening
- 6to 10 tsp sugar, to taste
Sometimes
- a large handful fresh mint
- 3cardamom pods, crushed
- a small piece of ginger
- a few cloves
- a strip of cinnamon
To serve
- in small glasses, very hot
- after a meal, or with guests at any hour
Directions
- Use a generous amount of leaf and a small amount of water. Start with a couple of teaspoons per small glass and adjust, and expect to use more than seems reasonable.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil in a small pot or a kettle used for the purpose. Add the tea leaves and the sugar and let it boil for several minutes. It should turn very dark, almost black in the pot.
- Crush cardamom pods before adding them so the seeds are exposed, since whole pods give very little. Add spices at the start so they boil with the tea. Now the mint, if you are using it.
- Add a large handful of fresh mint at the end, off the heat, and cover the pot for two or three minutes. Mint added at the end keeps its fresh aroma, where mint boiled for several minutes turns dark and bitter.
- Use it generously, since a few leaves give nothing. Pour the tea from a height into the glasses, in a long thin stream.
- Pour the tea from the pot into a glass and back into the pot, two or three times. It takes practice to do without spilling, and it is worth doing over the sink at first. Strain the tea as you pour, or let the leaves settle and pour carefully.
- Serve it in small glasses, filled about three-quarters, so the foam sits on top. It is drunk very hot, in small sips, and glasses are refilled repeatedly rather than made large.
Technique
- The tea is boiled with the sugar rather than steeped and sweetened after.
- Pouring from a height builds the foam that is looked for.
- Mint goes in at the end, off the heat, or it turns bitter.
Substitutions
- Gunpowder green tea, as used across much of the Sahara.
- Any strong black tea.
Variations
- With mint, which is common across the region.
- Spiced with cardamom and ginger.
- Made with milk, as shai bi haleeb.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shai?
Shai is a drink from Chad: strong sweet tea, often with mint, closing every meal.
How long does Shai take to make?
Shai takes 5 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 small glasses. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Shai?
Yes, within limits. Gunpowder green tea, as used across much of the Sahara. Any strong black tea.
What is the most important thing to get right in Shai?
Serve it in small glasses, filled about three-quarters, so the foam sits on top. It is drunk very hot, in small sips, and glasses are refilled repeatedly rather than made large.
