Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), or holy basil, is considered sacred in Hinduism — a plant of protection and healing, found in the courtyard of almost every traditional Indian home. Combined with ginger, it produces a chai that tastes medicinal in the best possible sense: sharp, warming, slightly peppery, with a clean finish.
This is not an everyday chai. It is the chai that appears when someone has a cold, or when the monsoon brings that familiar heaviness, or when the body simply signals it needs support.
Why Black Pepper?
Black pepper (Piperine) increases the bioavailability of the active compounds in both tulsi and ginger by up to 20 times. It also adds a gentle heat that builds slowly. Do not skip it.
Never boil tulsi aggressively — add the leaves after the spices have simmered, and simmer gently for no more than 3 minutes. Prolonged boiling destroys the volatile oils that make tulsi therapeutic.
Method
Step 1. Bring water to a boil with ginger, cardamom, and black pepper. Simmer 3 minutes.
Step 2. Add the tulsi leaves. Simmer gently for 2 minutes.
Step 3. Add the black tea. Simmer 2 more minutes.
Step 4. Add the milk. Bring just to the edge of a boil.
Step 5. Strain into cups. Add honey after straining — never boil honey.
“The smell of tulsi chai brewing is one of those olfactory memories that stays with you. It smells like being taken care of.
In many Indian households, the first thing brewed for a guest who arrives in the rain is tulsi chai. It is chai as care.