Indian Chai is a powerful blend of tea and spices that has a number of health benefits. It is an integral part of daily life in India where you will find it being brewed in every kitchen and on almost every street corner. It has been embraced in other parts of the world as well and can be found on the menu of most international coffee and tea chains.
I like using white tea leaves when making chai. It does have a slightly different flavor: it is milder and sweeter but it has the advantage of being higher in anti-oxidants and lower in caffeine which I like since we are putting enough stress on our adrenal glands already. However, you can make this chai with regular black tea if you prefer.
Coconut palm sugar is a delicious way to sweeten your chai. It has an amazing flavor, is full of nutrients and minerals and therefore a healthier choice compared to refined sugar. You could use honey or jaggery or unrefined cane sugar instead.
Enjoy this tea steaming hot or, as I prefer right now, chilled with almond milk over ice.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 1 inch piece ginger, chopped (about 2 heaped tbsp)
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 2 whole star anise pods
- 10 cloves
- ½ tsp whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- ½ vanilla bean, split
- 3 tbsp white tea leaves
- 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or more depending on your taste)
- Milk of your choice. I like it with almond milk *
Preparation:
- Bring the water to a boil, add all the spices and let it simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the tea leaves.
- Cover and let it steep for another 20 minutes.
- Strain, add the coconut palm sugar and mix well. I got rid of my sweet tooth (thank goodness) and like my chai only mildly sweet. The cinnamon and almond milk and little palm sugar do just fine for me. Depending on your own preference you can add more sugar.
- Serve hot with milk of your choice (two parts chai to one part milk) or let the chai cool down, refrigerate and serve with (almond) milk over ice. The iced chai is my favorite at the moment, the Delhi temperature hitting 45 degrees Celsius these days.. Check out my post on Summer in India for some more refreshing drink ideas.
* To make your own almond milk:
- Soak 1 cup of almonds in water overnight.
- The next morning, remove the skin from the almonds (the skin will slide off easily once the almonds have been soaked)
- Place in a blender with 2 1/2 cups of water and blend well
- Strain through a cloth. Be sure to squeeze out the all the milk.
- Refrigerate for use in chai, smoothies or poured over breakfast cereal / porridge.
