I love chai. While in San Francisco I had two places that I burrowed little nests at so that I could savor this spicy, creamy drink when I had a hankering; my hands huddled around my mug, blowing on the liquid to cool. My two haunts were Ananda Fuara (a vegetarian restaurant) and Samovar (a tea lounge). Good memories.
Now that I’m in North Carolina, I have yet to find my new chai nesting grounds. And, I haven’t gotten into the rhythm of making chai using whole seeds, roots and such. However, the other day I discovered ‘Cheater Chai!’ Really — why has it taken me this long to come up with this?
Basically, I mixed a bunch of spice powders together in my black tea and added whole milk. Deviously divine!
Here is how ya do it… Pick out your favorite chai spices and purchase them in powder form. My suggestions are a combination of some or all of the following:
cinnamon
ginger
fennel
white pepper
coriander
nutmeg
turmeric
cardamom
nutmeg
celtic sea salt
Pick your favorites from the list above, mix them, and place them in a small jar. I would suggest using equal amounts of all herbs above except the following (which you would add much less of these to the mix): celtic sea salt (just to round out the taste) and white pepper (for the kick).
Then, make a cup of black tea (or decaf black tea), add a 1/2 teaspoon of your mix, add honey or maple syrup, add your cream…then stir. Enjoy! This concoction is an excellent digestive aid. Drink after meals…or in the morning to get your digestive system off to a good start.
Lindsay Kolasa 