Ginger Spice Chai

My trip to India last year was quite the adventure: a 16-hour overnight train ride, idol worshipers blocking the street, head bobbles that left me confused, and tons of people.  While I just mentioned what sound like negative aspects, I absolutely love all five weeks I was there. The people were gorgeous, the clothes were colorful, the smiles were white, and the food...ah, the food was amazing. Dal, Chicken Masala, Curries, and of course lots of chai.

In India you can get chai almost everywhere you go. I could order it at any hour of the day from our hotel's kitchen and there were always vendors on the side of the road with a crowd of people around them. As our English speaking friends told me: Chai is to India as Coffe is to the U.S.

Before I left for my trip to India, my boyfriend at the time (now husband) took me to get my first chai from Boston Coffee House. I loved it! But once I got to India I quickly found that American chai is so very different from authentic Indian chai. In America, our chai - while amazing - is made from powdered mixes and tons of milk. In India, it's the spices that make the tea so amazing. Cloves, cardamom, ginger...it's aromatic. While it takes a bit of time to make, it's not labor intensive and so worth the wait!

Ginger Spice Chai

(Makes 2 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 2 cups water

· 1” piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced

· 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

· 5 cardamom pods

· 1/2 cinnamon stick

· 1 star anise

· 2 bags black tea

· 3/4 cup Almond milk (or other milk)

· 1 tablespoon liquid sweetener of choice (agave, honey….whatever you have)

*If you don’t have all of these ingredients, just use what you have and I’m sure it will still be delicious!

Directions:

1.  Bring the water and all of the spices to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.

2. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the spices to simmer for about 30 minutes.

3. Strain the liquid through some cheese cloth into a bowl or another pot and then return the liquid back to the saucepan.

4. Add the tea bags and allow them to steep for 5 minutes.

5. Remove the tea bags and stir in the milk and sweetener.

6. Return the saucepan to the burner and bring back to a simmer.

7. Enjoy the smell of your house while you enjoy your ginger spice chai!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith