Market Report: Chai and Jelly

Chai Spice offers an aromatic journey into the world of rich, fragrant spices, where traditional chai blends come to life with every sip. Jellicious is a delightful sweet haven at the Farmers Market, offering a wide array of dessert jellies. Together, they add a burst of flavor and sweetness to your market experience, promising an unforgettable culinary adventure for your taste buds.

Chai Spice

Sheeba Grover left a decade-long career in IT to share her love of tea with Calgarians. Originally from Mumbai, she is the founder of Chai Spice, a new stall at the Farmers & Makers Market. Chai Spice offers up different blends of authentic Indian tea (known as chai) using fresh, fragrant spices. The blends showcase strong-but-smooth flavours, unlike the watered-down versions of chai you’re likely to find at grocery stores or even some restaurants.

Chai is a cultural phenomenon in India, where most people have multiple cups of spicy, sweet, milky chai daily. Sheeba says, “Everybody gets together for tea, whether they are at the office or in their own home and friends come over and bond over a cup of chai.” Chai is usually made in a saucepan and Sheeba has created several videos demonstrating the proper method of chai-making for the silkiest, tastiest cup.

The stall’s most popular caffeinated blends are the Cutting Chai and Taprri Chai. Cutting Chai hails from Mumbai, where the term means a ‘half-cup’ of strong tea. Sheeba’s recipe uses traditional Assam black tea and generous amounts of cardamom and ginger crushed finely to produce a strong taste. It is the perfect afternoon drink. Sheeba’s favourite is the Taprri Chai, with taprri referring to India’s ubiquitous tea-stalls. It’s loaded with fennel, cardamom and ginger, among other spices. Chai Spice also offers a non-caffeinated traditional beverage called Ayur Shakti, which Sheeba affectionately dubs, “the chicken soup of India.” Ayur Shakti is a truly ancient drink, dating back thousands of years, and Sheeba’s version is a hearty blend of turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and other spices.

Chai Spice | Farmers & Makers Market Sunalta and shop online | 647.326.7466 | chaispice.ca | IG: @thechaispiceofficial

Jellicious

There is nothing more refreshing than sweet, bite-sized jelly desserts! A bouncy texture, delicious flavours and creative fillings make Liane Dong’s Vietnamese jelly desserts addictive. Liane frequently made jelly desserts for family and friends, but after “the end of a toxic relationship,” she created Jellicious in 2020 and started selling her creations using Instagram. This summer, she expanded to DJ Market, a farmer’s market where she stocks a selection of grab-and-go assorted jelly snack cups.

Traditional Vietnamese jelly desserts known as thach rau câu are set using agar agar instead of gelatin, giving them a firmer bite. Since agar agar is derived from seaweed (don’t worry, it’s flavourless) Liane’s desserts are gluten-free and vegan. They come in flavours ranging from mango to milk tea to almond and are filled with anything from fruits to sago (small tapioca pearls). The most popular flavour choices are mango, lychee, pandan and taro, with fresh fruit fillings.

Each bite-sized jelly is shaped in a different mold, and every order is a surprise—colorful hearts, diamonds and flower-shaped jellies abound. Liane says many of her customers order platters for events, and that it makes her “feel so special to be a part of them.” Each platter has a beautiful 3-D jelly centerpiece, in which floral designs are embedded in clear jelly; it’s a time-consuming process that takes a considerable amount of skill. Liane also offers larger jelly cakes, which can be sliced and served like a traditional cake and are topped with intricate molded jelly flowers.