Deshi Cha

Bangladesh is one of the major producers of tea. Malinicherra Tea Garden in Sylhet, Bangladesh was the first tea plantation in Asia and Bangalis are known for their love of tea. Most people from Indian subcontinent don't like watery English tea. Tea in Asia is a serious business. Tea stalls are our answer to Cafe and we had them long before Starbucks and the likes came along. If you ever had a cup of tea in a roadside tea-stall in Bangladesh made with ever boiling concentrated pinkish milk, you will know what I am talking about. I tried to recreate it. My tea converted a lot of non-tea-drinkers into tea-lovers. Confucius said ''it's better to have one good cup of tea than ten bad ones in a day'' (he didn't really say it but he would if he had 'deshi cha'!)

A Bangali party is not complete without tea but making tea for so many people is an isolating and arduous task. The host will have to leave the party and get stuck in the kitchen to make tea for quite some time - not nice! Solve this problem once and for all. Make tea before the guests arrive. You will need a good quality 2 litre Carafe (table flask). It will serve 12-14 cups.

• Warm up the inside of the carafe with some hot water and pour the water out.   
• Kettle ON > boil water.
• Put 10 tea bags in the Carafe
• Fill it half way with boiling water.
• Add 1 can (400 ml) Evaporated milk (not condensed milk)
• Add 1/2 cup sugar (optional)
• Shake the carafe to combine everything and dissolve the sugar (if added)
• Fill the Carafe with hot water > Close the lid > shake it again > leave it with the tea bags inside.
• Just before serving give it another shake.

For informal parties have small styrofoam cups and ask the guests to sign the cups and save the earth! Let the guest help themselves with tea and sugar. For larger parties, you should have more than one carafe. Enjoy your party - you will thank me for this! If you are taking tea to picnic, no need to shake, just leave it in the car safely, the car will do it for you, by the time you reach your destination, you will have a flask full of fully infused divine tea.

Variations: for spice tea add some whole cinnamon, cardamon and cloves in the tea, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea!

PS. I found if you ask people how they like their tea, you are in trouble. You will need pen and paper like a waiter to write down all the specifics, with or without sugar, with or without milk, how much sugar, how much milk. Some may even ask for half cup of tea, or lemon or herbal and so on... don't ask, just show the flask!