Chai This On For Size

Homemade chai, that is. We got this recipe from the Kripalu Cookbook, which has been the source of many favorites for us. Here's the recipe, along with some of my comments:

Chai

2 heaping teaspoons CTC tea or orange pekoe/pekoe-cut black tea (ie, Lipton; I used decaf so we could drink it before bed)

1-1/3 cups milk

2/3 cup water

1/2 tsp garam masala (see recipe below; many commercial preparations have cumin, which doesn't make for very tasty chai)

3-4 tsp of sugar to taste

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger (optional)

Garam Masala

2 Tbsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp black pepper

1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix together in a bowl or spice grinder.

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Tea should be a golden tan color when brewed. Adjust for sweetness and serve immediately. Makes 2 cups.

-adapted from p. 324 of The Kripalu Cookbook

What I did was to omit the milk at this stage, and quadruple the recipe. After removing the teabags, I poured the concentrate into a jar and let it cool. Now I have 6-8 servings of chai concentrate that can be combined with roughly an equal amount of milk (or more or less, depending on your taste) and heated anytime. Cheap, delicious, and easy!