It was about 20 years ago I first tasted Chai Tea. My eldest daughter was going through a bohemian stage and had a part-time job waitressing at a dim, dark coffee shop in the city. Being the supportive parent, I of course made sure I visited the cafe and sampled some of the wares on offer. My daughter insisted I have a Chai tea... I was VERY glad I did! I have had a love affair with Chai ever since.
Even though I have had the real thing, I must admit I have never made it from scratch. I have bought tins of Chai tea mix and even had tea bags of chai tea. I have had it with full cream, lactose free, powdered and non-dairy milks. I have also had it without milk and just hot water. Delish!
I have included a couple of recipes for those of you who are adventurous. It will be well worth the effort.
Chai tea is rather a misnomer, as "chai" itself means tea in Hindi. This spicy milk tea is sometimes called masala chai. Traditionally, the Indian tea takes a long time to brew from freshly ground ingredients simmered over flames. Spices, milk, black tea, and sugar make up the key ingredients.
To make this tea using a traditional recipe, gather fresh spices from an Asian or Indian market. Take cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole black or white pepper corns, a cardamom pod, and grind them together into a powder. With chopped ginger root, add this mixture to a liquid of two parts half-and-half to three parts water. Use a strong, black tea from Asia such as Darjeeling, Ceylon, or Assam blends, instead of a green tea. Black tea has been oxidized, and has more tannins and a higher pungency. This mixture brews over a low, simmering heat for up to an hour, unlike steeped tea that takes mere minutes. Strain out the spices and stir in a teaspoon of sugar to bring out the spiciness without overly sweetening. Your cup of chai is ready to ease your nerves and warm your soul.
Due to the increasing popularity of this Eastern tea in the West, products now make chai more convenient to serve. Dry mixes, similar to instant hot chocolate, blend with warm milk, for a quick brew. Pre-brewed and packaged chai is also sold like a carton of milk to be enjoyed hot or iced. Connoisseurs can even prepare a concentrated mixture of spices and tea, with no milk and less water, to store in the refrigerator. When ready to mix just heat this on the stove with milk and sugar or honey to the desired strength.
New concoctions with a chai base create new tastes and varieties. As chai becomes a staple on the menus of coffee shops and tea rooms, people add vanilla, nutmeg, chocolate, coriander, soanp, or fennel seed. Experiment with different proportions of spice, or other milk products like ice cream, to create your individual blend.
Benefits Of Chai tea
Chai, is the classical Indian beverage and has been used since centuries. In tautological sense, tea or chai is known as chai tea. People in Asia or especially India are known to have a better and stronger immune system as compared to people of other places. This can be attributed to the early morning intake of chai tea. Chai tea is made by mixing black tea with a definite amount of certain spices and herbs. According to both Chinese Traditional Medicine and Ayurveda chai tea offers numerous benefits to tit users. These benefits are due to the various kinds of spices present in it and include:
1.Benefits of cinnamon.
The presence of cinnamon helps to increase blood circulation and open up breathing. It also helps to increase vitality and awareness, and reduce fatigue. Cinnamon is also supposed to be an aphrodisiac and aids in arousing sexual drive.
2.Benefits of cardamom.
Cardamom is a popular spice in both Chinese and Indian preparations. It is said to benefit the kidneys, lungs, and the heart and also acts as a mood elevator.
3.Benefits of clove.
Clove is a native spice form the islands of Indonesia and was used by Chinese since 300 BC. They first came to Europe in fourth and fifth centuries AD. Cloves have antiseptic and pain-relieving properties attributes and just like ginger and pepper, clove is used to increase the effectiveness of other herbal blends.
4.Benefits of black pepper.
Black pepper is widely used for supporting blood circulation and body metabolism. It also helps to alleviate and ease chronic coldness and is thus used in winters.
5.Benefits of nutmeg.
Nutmeg has been in use for centuries to alleviate pain due to sciatica. It also promotes the digestion of heavy and fatty foods. It was earlier used by Arabian physicians for treating problems of kidney and lymph.
6.Chinese Star Anise
Traditional Asian herbalists recognize Chinese star anise with a numerous properties. It is quite frequently used as a remedy for cough and to freshen up bad breath.
7.Benefits of ginger.
Ginger has long been valued as a stimulant and tonic for improving the blood circulatory system and the immune system of the body. It has been used for the treatment of disparate conditions like motion sickness and impotence.
8.Benefits of fennel.
Fennel was found as a chief medicinal plant in royal herb gardens of France and Germany in the medieval period. Fennel is still extensively used for the treatment of kidney problems, ocular problems, and laryngitis.
Chai tea is a mixture of all the above ingredients and so it is the perfect drink to keep healthy and fit.
How to make chai tea
Serves 6
What you will need
• 1 tbs fennel seeds
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 12 whole cloves
• 1cm piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
• 6 black peppercorns
• 8 cups (2L) water
• ¼ cup Darjeeling tea leaves
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• Brown sugar, to taste
• Sieve
• Saucepan
1. Put fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, ginger, pepper and water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavours. Stir in tea. Set aside for 2-3 minutes to brew.
2. Add the milk and sugar to taste. Strain through a fine sieve into serving glasses.
How to Make Chai Tea
A traditional drink of India and Pakistan, masala chai has become a popular beverage worldwide. While you may certainly purchase teabags at your local grocery store, you will achieve a more authentic flavour if you make it yourself, bouquet garni style, using the following recipes.
Ingredients
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root; grated
• 1 whole star anise; broken up
• 1 teaspoon orange peel; grated
• 4 pieces cinnamon bark (canela); 1 1/2 inch
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
• 10 whole cloves
• 5 whole peppercorns
• 5 cups water
• 1/4 cup black tea leaves; (like Assam or Darjeeling)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cups milk
Steps
1. Bundle up the first seven ingredients in a length of cheese cloth and tie it together with a string. This is called a bouquet garni (pronounced "boo-KAY gar-NEE").
2.Place the bouquet garni in a pot of water. The string should be tied to the handle for easy removal later on.
3. Bring the water to a very low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Boiling water may extract too much bitterness from the tea leaves.
4. Add tea leaves and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the bouquet garni.
6. Strain the remaining liquid through a sieve to remove tea leaves.
7. Add honey, vanilla, and milk.
8. Serve. Pour the mixture over crushed ice if you're serving it cold. This makes eight servings.
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