Oooohhh, chai. Mmmmmm. Now, I probably enjoy tea more than most in the Colonies. I mean, ever since we threw it out with the baby in Boston, tea lost its luster over here. We don't have the ritual, we don't have the "high" or the "low" -- hell, we don't really know what those mean. But tea is good. And I like a good, strong black - or a subtle white - or a fresh, grassy green - or a vibrant maté - or a bright, ruby rooibos - or -- well, you get my point. I like just about all of 'em, straight, with milk/cream, with or without sweetener, big mugs, tiny cups at every Chinese restaurant, hot or iced. But there's one that I love more than all of the others.
Chai.
It's something about those spices. Maybe it's because I love the scents of the holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas. The cinnamons, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. And thanks to my parents and living in Germany, pepper and cardamom - any year without a soft, homemade, mellowed Pfeffernüsse is a year lacking in my book. And chai puts all those together into a warm, tasty, comfy ambrosia.
Ahem. Even if you don't like it as much as me, these are pretty good. Give 'em a try.
Refrigerator Chai
This might be considered cheating - but I thought it brilliant when I stumbled across this in a tea book (Chai, the Spice Tea of India, by Diana Rosen - I think the original is Sally Champe’s recipe.) at a friend's place. By using sweetened instead of unsweetened condensed milk, I don't have to worry about a sweetener - which is also why I've increased the spice amounts so I don't over-sweeten.
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/3 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
To use, brew some very hot, strong black tea, and add 2-3 tablespoons (to taste). It's that easy.
Masala Chai
Now, I prefer a strong chai, so I like to boil the spices, then allow the black tea to steep for a good amount of time. I've tried, but don't like boiling the tea - it just gets too bitter and you are forced to add too much sweetener. By boiling first, then steeping below the boil I've found you can get really strong spice and tea flavors, and the slight bitterness from steeping longer than 5-6 minutes is counteracted by a reasonable amount of sweetener. Of course, you can always make a stronger tea with less time by using more tea.
- 6 whole cloves
- 4 green cardamom pods, crushed and lightly toasted
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
- 1 tsp ginger, (chop for stronger flavor, slice into rounds for milder)
- 1/4 tsp black peppercorn, (whole, crushed or ground - stronger flavor the more you grind)
- 1/8 tsp fennel, lightly toasted
- 1/8 tsp cumin or coriander, lightly toasted
You can toast any, all or none of the spices. I think it helps bring out the flavor. It's up to you.
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp black tea, loose leaf (Assam is a good option)
Boil the spices in the water for 5-10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring back just to a boil. Remove from heat and add tea, steep for 3-10 minutes. Strain and serve. Sweeten to taste.
I've found that making a big batch and re-warming the tea works just fine - as long as I don't re-boil it, it doesn't get too bitter, and that second cup after it's been sitting for 30 minutes... might be my favorite of the batch. Also, play with the recipe - if you don't like fennel, reduce it or take it out. Or if there's a ground spice, grind it less or not at all. As a matter of fact, I often use ground cardamom since I love the flavor and get it easier than the pods.
It's your tea, make it your masala.
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