Originating in India, Masala (spice) Chai (tea) traditionally combines black tea and milk with a mixture of spices and a little sweetener to taste. You can use powdered or whole spices, but whole spices freshly ground or grated will give a more fragrant flavour to your chai.
Dianna Tawharu (naturopath in our Milford store) says that spices have many properties that help us maintain good health, for example, spices are known to aid digestion. Most spices also have antimicrobial properties and contain antioxidants that protect our cells from damage. Some spices help with circulation and help keep cold out of the body. Ginger in particular has blood thinning properties.
Gurpreet is a long standing member of our accounts team and has kindly shared her recipe for us all to enjoy!
Chai for 2
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cardamom pods
- 2 star anise pods
- 1tsp grated turmeric
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 cup milk (Gurpreet uses cow's milk but we used oat!)
- 2 black tea bags
- 1 tsp honey (we used Commonsense Seasonal Harvest Honey)
Method
Bring water to boil with all of the spices, then add the tea bags and boil for 5 minutes.
Add your choice of milk and simmer everything together for another 5 minutes.
Strain the chai into a mug and enjoy.
