My friend Sim makes amazing chai. Maybe, it’s because she makes it with so much love. No, really…she makes it every morning for those around her and insists on using a mortar and pestle to grind the spices herself until they have reached a fine powder. Now if that’s not love, I don’t know what is. But it’s not just love that makes her chai taste so great. It’s the taste of fennel seeds. While she isn’t quite sure of the origin of her atypical recipe (a quick Google search suggests it’s of Ayurvedic origins), it sure tastes great and is extra good for digestion. Check out her recipe below:
What You Need:
2 cups of milk
2 1/2 cups of water
4 cardamom pods
2 tsp fennel seeds
4 tsp sugar
4 packets of black tea (Sim prefers Tetley English Breakfast Tea)
What to Do:
Put the water in a pot and bring to a boil uncovered.
While the water is boiling, crush the fennel seeds and cardamom pods with a mortar and pestle (or by putting them in a Ziploc bag and using a heavy object like a rolling pin). The finer you crush the spices, the better – but don’t worry if you don’t get it to a superfine powder. Throw the crushed spices (including the outside of the cardamom pod) into the water as it boils.
When the water reaches a boil, add the sugar and the teabags and let it simmer until the water is rich and dark in color (about 5 minutes). Add the milk and let the concoction come back up to a boil. Again, let it simmer about 5 minutes.
Serve hot. Makes about 4 cups of tea and is best shared with your friends/family/roommates.
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.
The best part is “best shared with your friends/family/roommates.” Recipes with a warm touch, I love it!