Any fans of chai tea here? I was in the mood for it today, but rather than buy a pre-made version, I figured it was easy enough to try making my own. I have never done it before, but my first try came out rather nicely. I thought I would share the recipe for anyone who may be interested. If anyone has any suggestions for improvement, I would love to hear them!
I started with two cups of boiling water in a sauce pan, and added some freshly grated ginger. I grated off a piece about the size of my thumb. Next, I finely chopped a half dozen mint leaves and threw them in the pot. For the spices, I used a coffee grinder to powderize ten green cardamom pods, five black peppercorns, five whole cloves, and half of a cinnamon stick. I put that in the pot and added two tablespoons of brown sugar, and the tea from five bags of black tea. I wanted to use about four tablespoons of loose leaf assam tea, but my local grocery store just had tea bags, so that's what I used. Lastly, I added three-quarters of a cup of whole milk. Once it was done simmering, I poured the mixture through a strainer and discarded the bits of tea and spice. My first cup tasted like it had too much cardamon and too little sweetness, so I added a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar into the rest of it, and the second cup tasted amazing. The added sweetness rounded off the harshness of the cardamom and made all of the flavors intensify and balance out. Next time around, I might double the sugar, to four tablespoons.
I figure I have enough spices and tea on hand to make this whenever I want, and it's such a simple recipe that I can have a good cup of tea for only a few minutes' effort.
I started with two cups of boiling water in a sauce pan, and added some freshly grated ginger. I grated off a piece about the size of my thumb. Next, I finely chopped a half dozen mint leaves and threw them in the pot. For the spices, I used a coffee grinder to powderize ten green cardamom pods, five black peppercorns, five whole cloves, and half of a cinnamon stick. I put that in the pot and added two tablespoons of brown sugar, and the tea from five bags of black tea. I wanted to use about four tablespoons of loose leaf assam tea, but my local grocery store just had tea bags, so that's what I used. Lastly, I added three-quarters of a cup of whole milk. Once it was done simmering, I poured the mixture through a strainer and discarded the bits of tea and spice. My first cup tasted like it had too much cardamon and too little sweetness, so I added a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar into the rest of it, and the second cup tasted amazing. The added sweetness rounded off the harshness of the cardamom and made all of the flavors intensify and balance out. Next time around, I might double the sugar, to four tablespoons.
I figure I have enough spices and tea on hand to make this whenever I want, and it's such a simple recipe that I can have a good cup of tea for only a few minutes' effort.
