Monday, March 13, 2006

Chai Tea

I love Chai Tea. But I don't really enjoy paying $4 for a mug of it from our local coffee/tea shops.

So, I set out to make my own....!

Like a good curry or cookie or casserole, everyone has their perfect recipe, leaving a lot of recipes to wade through. I went with a recipe called "My Favorite Chai Recipe." Sounds promising.

It's super easy and pretty tasty.

Boil for 5 minutes, then steep for 10 minutes:
  • 1 TB fennel or anise seed
  • 6 Green Cardamom Pods
  • 12 Cloves
  • 1 Cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 inch ginger root, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper corns
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 7 cups of water

Add, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes:
  • 2 TB Darjeeling Tea

Add:
  • 6 TB Honey or Brown Sugar
  • 1 Cup Milk

Strain and serve!


I had one tasty mug and have the rest in the fridge for iced chai later!

4 comments:

Stef said...

I love chai tea! And yep, I hate paying 4 bucks for it... I like that Oregon Chai Tea Company stuff, or whatever the company is called.

ScottE. said...

This is a tasty Chai, but something's missing. Next time I make it, I'll have to play around with the spices. I think more cardamom and another cinnamon stick, extra cloves....? Or a little less water? Or maybe some cream instead of milk. The taste was great, but needed something. But more than that...the 'mouth feel' was very light...had a 'watery milk' feel....

for what it's worth.

Dancer in DC said...

It was really delicious. I look forward to having some iced today.

Anonymous said...

I don't usually like tea... but iced Chai is like liquid dessert! LOVE IT! And hot is great, as well. I'd maybe try half & half (which always makes me think of grandma... she loved her half & half!!), and I'd even add a little nutmeg. And more cinnamon! Everything's better with MORE cinnamon!!