Leena Trivedi

Food Writing

Recipe Developer

Communications

 

  

 

   

  

 

 

photo by Celeste Noche

Epicurious •

There’s a Lot More to Masala Chai Than Spiced Milk Tea

Three times a day there is a small pot of masala chai bubbling on my stove, threatening to overflow. Milky foam and spice-filled bubbles rise above the pot’s edges, flecked with black tea granules and just daring me to look away. When I inevitably do, to help my daughter find her shoe or to break up a fight, not two seconds later I’ll hear that unmistakable whoosh and sizzle as chai floods my stovetop and smothers the flame. It mocks me. Chai’s strength knows no bounds.
The Splendid Table •

Chinese Tea with Theresa Wong & Masala Chai with Leena Trivedi-Grenier

This week, we dive into the world of tea, its history, and traditions. First up, we visit the T Shop in New York City with East Asian tea expert Theresa Wong. Theresa leads Francis through a tea tasting, from black, thru oolong all the way to green. We learn a few brewing tips along the way as well. Then, food and culture writer Leena Trevedi-Grenier talks to us about the surprising story of Masala Chai's history and gives us an in-depth guide to spicing and techniques for making the perfect cup.
The Cut •

Racism Caused Early Graying. Now I Turn It Into Hair Art.

I was 16 when I found my first gray hair. Judging by its multiple siblings, it had likely been there for a while. I was playing the xylophone in my high-school band when a friend standing behind me pointed it out. The strangest part was that the hair wasn’t gray, but a pure white from root to tip. It felt wrong, foreign, like an invader on my body. This is only supposed to happen to old people, I thought as I yanked it out.
Epicurious •

How to Make a Better Cup of Iced Chai

Confession: I hate iced chai. I keep buying it because I feel like I should like it, considering my love affair with masala chai and my Indian heritage. Plus, sometimes it’s just too damn hot for a traditional cup of chai, but I still need those flavors in my day, you know? Every time I order the iced version, though, I’m faced with a tall, cool glass of blandness that’s watered down, syrupy, and resembles chai only in name. When I make it at home, it’s not much better.
Epicurious •

There’s a Lot More to Masala Chai Than Spiced Milk Tea

Three times a day there is a small pot of masala chai bubbling on my stove, threatening to overflow. Milky foam and spice-filled bubbles rise above the pot’s edges, flecked with black tea granules and just daring me to look away. When I inevitably do, to help my daughter find her shoe or to break up a fight, not two seconds later I’ll hear that unmistakable whoosh and sizzle as chai floods my stovetop and smothers the flame. It mocks me. Chai’s strength knows no bounds.
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