Every household in this zone runs on two teas and they are opposites. Suja, the salted butter tea, is the old one, Tibetan in origin and made by churning. Ngaja is the sweet one: black tea boiled with milk and sugar, closer to what is drunk across the border in India, and it is what most Bhutanese actually reach for through the day. It arrives with something dry to eat alongside, usually zaw, the puffed rice that gets tipped straight into the cup or eaten by the handful, or sip, pounded corn. Offering tea is the first thing that happens when anyone enters a house here, and ngaja is what a visitor unused to salt and butter will be given. The tea itself came up the same trade routes as the brick tea for suja; what changed was what went into the pot after it.
INGREDIENTS
- 700 ml water
- 3 tsp strong black tea leaves
- 300 ml whole milk
- 3 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- puffed rice (to serve)
METHOD
- Bring the water to a boil and add the tea leaves.
- Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, until the liquid is very dark and smells strong.
- Pour in the milk and add the sugar.
- Bring back to a gentle boil, stirring, and let it rise up the pan once before pulling it off the heat. Watch it, since it will climb quickly.
- Strain into cups and serve very hot, with a bowl of puffed rice alongside to eat by the handful or tip straight into the tea.