Ingredients
6 cups water
2 cups milk
¼ cup sugar
2 cardamom seeds (use mortal and pestle to break them up or use the flat of a chef’s knife to smoosh them then chop a little - make sure the pieces don’t go flying everywhere by holding your other hand over it)
5 thin slices of fresh ginger chopped in half
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
5 cloves
½ star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds
Put water in a med/lg saucepan and drop the spices in it. Then take 6 black tea bags and open them up over the pan (Lipton is just fine!!) and let the leaves fall in or use 6 tps loose black tea. Bring to a boil and let it boil rapidly for 10 minutes. The water level will go down dramatically - this is just fine. Add the milk and sugar and give it a stir. Bring back to a boil. (I don’t suggest walking away at this point because if it comes to a boil while you’re not there it will overflow.) Let the milk foam up a bit then turn off heat and it will go right back down. Then using a fine mesh strainer pour yourself a cup of Chai. Let the delicious aromas fill your nose and sip on the most velvety and slightly sweet Chai you’ve ever had!!
Makes 6 servings
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Now as we all know tea has antioxidant properties. Unfortunately adding milk to it removes these. However you make up for it by a landslide in what you get from all the spices.
Bay leaves - antiseptic, antioxidant, digestive , anti-cancer properties, good source of folic acid and vitamin C > helps with immune boosting, wound healing, antiviral effects, vitamin A > good for sight, helps with mucus membranes and skin health, niacin, panto-ethnic acid, riboflavin, all 3 B vitamins, helps enzyme synthesis, nervous system function and metabolism, calcium, potassium, manganese and magnesium, selenium, iron and zinc, helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Astringent, appetite stimulant, helps with tummy problems like cloves do and colic, insect repellent, arthritis, muscle pain, bronchitis and flu (whew!!)
Black peppercorns - aids digestion, breaks up congestion also good with coughs, whooping cough and asthma, sprinkle black pepper on a cut > stops bleeding, antibacterial, kills germs, aids weight loss, good for healthy skin, reduces skin cancer, good for eyesight, helps transport the active elements of other herbs and spices to all your body parts, helps with ear ache and tooth ache
Cardamom - essential oils > antiseptic, antispasmodic, antioxidant, carminative, stomachic, expectorant, stimulant - also has vitamins in it - vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, Manganese (free radical scavenger - helps avoid cancer), iron, riboflavin and niacin
Cinnamon - lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, helps with yeast infections, regulates blood sugar (helpful for those dieting and also to diabetics), reduces proliferation of cancer, arthritis relief, antibacterial, boosts cognitive function and memory, fights E. Coli, high in magnesium, calcium and iron.
Cloves - highest antioxidant activity of any food!! (hence fights off free radicals), good source of manganese, calcium, vitamin K and C, iron, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, helps with toothaches and infections like the flu, especially good for coughs, high in flavonoids > anti-inflammatory so good for arthritis and rheumatism, anesthetic, antibacterial, purifies blood so helps with various diseases, helps with all digestive problems: diarrhea, vomiting, flatulence, gastric irritability.
Ginger - powerful weapon against ovarian and colon cancer, helps with morning and travel sickness, reduces pain and inflammation, aids menstrual cramps, helps with colds, flu and migraines, reduces kidney damage in diabetic patients
Fennel - helps with anemia, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, antacid, flatulence, facilitates absorption of nutrient of other foods, helps with colic and other respiratory problems, good for eye care, diuretic, removes toxins from body, strengthens hair and prevents hair loss, and sharpens memory (caution you can overdose taking too much fennel - so don’t just decide to make a meal of it)
Star anise - helps with digestion problems, constipation, tummy ache, abdominal cramps, gas, indigestion, and bloating (if you put some star anise in a cup of hot water and drink it it should get rid of your tummy ache as well as aid in cough and cold), helps with colds and flu, increases breast milk production, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant, vitamin C, A and copper, helps those with poor appetites.
Okay so that’s a good outline for why this drink is especially healthy for you - definitely makes up for the fact that there is a small amount of sugar in each cup. Also now that you’ve got all these spices might as well add them to coffee drinks and smoothies as well as chutneys to go over meat and any ole thing you can think of (for instance a little cinnamon and cloves are good in chili).
Cardamom is not cheap in most stores. But I found a large chain supermarket that carries “Spicely, whole herbs and spices” and as opposed to the 14 or so dollars you’ll spend on most other brands for cardamom it is only 3 dollars - whoopee!!! Was a happy find for me. Keep you ginger either fresh in a cold spot in your refrigerator or cut off half of it and freeze it. Either way keep it in baggies as they get dry easily. If you find yourself in the Hispanic aisle in the supermarket that is where you want to pick up the black peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon - all for $1.50 or less. The fennel seed is usually carried by all brands but I haven’t found it yet in the Hispanic section yet unfortunately. You want whole spices all around preferably but I have on occasion used cinnamon powder or clove powder and it works OK - still makes a great cup of tea!!
To your Health!! - ENJOY!!
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