In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I am going to post a delicious chai recipe. You may be saying to yourselves, "But Sundance, chai is an Indian (Asian) recipe, not Mexican." To which I would reply to you, "I know. I'm chic like that." :)
Here be the spices ye will need to brew up some lip-smackin', knee-slappin', good ol' chai.
- A gallon + stockpot for the water
- 1/4 C green cardamom seed pods, lightly crushed w/ a pultice to break open
- 1/4 C fresh ginger root w/ skin, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 C cinnamon bark, broken into chips
- 1 T whole black Tellicherry peppercorns
- 2 T whole cloves
- 1 C honey
- 5 T loose black tea leaves (Assam is most common)
- 3 star anise
Add one gallon of cold, filtered water to the stockpot. Add all the ingredients except for the honey and black tea. Simmer everything for 45 min., uncovered. The spices will begin to release their aromas; you want to get it to the point where all the bulk ingredients are spent. Add the black tea, simmer for another 15 minutes, then add the honey. Strain entire contents over a cheesecloth into another large pot to cool, compost or discard the reminents from the spices. Serve hot or cold with equal parts chai and milk (any substitute is great here, too), and enjoy!
Jai Papaji, Om SatGuru Ki Jai Om shanti
May all beings enjoy masala chai with aromatic, milky smiles!
Jai Guru Dev!
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