A hot cup of tea
It’s been foggy and wet. This is typical winter weather in Georgia. But this week it’s really been quite unbearable. Most of the country is getting an onslaught of winter weather and I ,along with everyone else, have been locked up indoors dreaming of spring. To help pass the time I’ve been cooking up preserved fruits and veggies from the summer and fall garden. I had forgotten that I froze like 10 bags of shredded zucchini. As I was whipping up a batch of my Summer Squash Bread, I got a hankering for some Chai tea.
What is Chai?
In it’s simplest form, Chai is a tea of Indian origin, made by brewing tea leaves in milk with sugar and spices. Spiced tea is consumed by many cultures around the world. The spice mixture will vary depending on the county. The most common are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper.
My Chai Recipe
I prefer my Chai heavy on the ginger. I also like to add vanilla, star anise and pepper. The beauty of Chai is that there are no rules for the spice mixture; add more or less of what you like. I also prefer my tea on the sweet side, so I use a generous spoon of honey.
Chai Tea
Directions
Crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle or with a heavy skillet. Cut the vanilla bean length-wise and scrape the seeds out of the pod with the knife.
Place the spices in a medium saucepan, along with the cinnamon sticks, ginger, milk, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil.Add the loose leaf tea or tea bags to a ceramic teapot. Remove the milk from the heat and pour the mixture into the teapot. Let steep for 10 minutes.
Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Strain into cups. To each cup, add honey to taste.
Enjoy your cup of Chai with a yummy and warm snack. With these warming spices tantalizing your taste buds, winter won’t be so bad.