Chai Recipe

4

Ingredients

2 cinnamon sticks broken in half
8 allspice berries
4 whole cloves
2 peppercorns
4 cups water
16 cardamom pods lightly crushed
4 slices fresh ginger lightly crushed
2 tea bags (or 1 lb black tea)
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons honey or to taste

Preparation

Step 1

With a mortar and pestle, coarsely grind the cinnamon sticks, allspice, cloves and peppercorns. In a saucepan, combine the ground spices, water, cardamom pods and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside, covered, for 10 minutes.

Place the tea bags in a teapot, or put the loose tea in a tea ball and place in the pot. Return the spiced water to a boil and pour into the teapot. Let steep for 2 to 3 minutes, then strain the tea and serve with milk and honey on the side.

This recipe yields 4 servings.