In my cup this afternoon Floating Leaves Tea - Spring LiShan.
I will be re-ordering this one.
I love Masala Chai. Ginger and cinnamon are some of my favorite spices and flavors. If I stopped running out of any chai blend that I had, I would drink it more often. I make it with the Vanilla Almond Milk and honey, which is the best that I can do with a dairy sensitivity. I've tried soy and rice milks before, but found the almond ones to be much better tasting.
Currently in my cup is the last of the Fukamushi Sencha Supreme. On my lap is a soggy but clean cat who happily wrapped up in towels and purring.
Currently in my cup is the last of the Fukamushi Sencha Supreme. On my lap is a soggy but clean cat who happily wrapped up in towels and purring.
Jun 19th, '09, 20:42
Posts: 147
Joined: Apr 17th, '09, 11:36
Location: Mississippi
Well....entropyembrace wrote:I haven't seen any blends without ginger, where can I buy them?MASALACHAAAAIIIIII wrote:Ginger isn't necessary in a chai, many blends without it. I suggest green kashmiri chai!!! mmmmmmmmm beefaay! well maybe not beefy, but tasty indeedaroni.
Just had a cup of ginger cardamom masala chai chai!!!! MMMMM
Today I'm drinking Autumn 08 Rou Gui...it's slightly flat I only had enough leaves for half a pot really.Still pretty tasty just not quite as good as if I had done it properly.
I meant home made blends. It doesn't take too long to crush up some cinammon, cardamom pods, and throw whole cloves together each time you want a cuppa. I usually can make a good chai in about 10mins, but you could grind all the spices early and store it, I just enjoy it fresh! Fennel seeds, garam masala, allspice, licorice root, pepper, nutmeg, coriander, ajwain, and vanilla can be used(more experimenting in the future!). Grated almonds taste good in masala chai.
Many green chais don't have ginger. And I am sure there are premade mixes out there without ginger, sadly I don't know any.
http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/kashmiri-chai btw I just found this and may try it soon.
I really suggest this book- Chai, The Spice Tea of India by Diana Rosen isbn-978-1-58017-166-3 Many of the blends in here omit ginger, still taste great! You still can find out a lot about chai on the internet of course... Or some friends! I love bothering my friends about their mom's recipes and such hahaha.
This box of stash's chai is kinda meh...but fresh ingredients really make a better masala chai depends on how much time you have. Please excuse my insane Masala chai addiction. About to make some more soon! Then Nepal llam fikkal afterwards to lower my hyperactivity as I make chapatis for some friends that are homesick. [/url]
This is my base recipe... I tweak it depending on my mood... less cinnamon, more pepper, etc. I coarsely chop the dry spices together in a small food processor, and find the flavor is more intense as a result.
- Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
3 cups water
1/4 inch fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I ground my own peppercorns)
2 cups milk
2 tablespoon sugar or honey
2 tablespoons strong black loose-leaf tea
Method:
Add spices, water, ginger and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar to the pan and bring to a boil again. Add tea and bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Strain liquid into a warmed teapot or directly into teacups and serve.
- Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
3 cups water
1/4 inch fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I ground my own peppercorns)
2 cups milk
2 tablespoon sugar or honey
2 tablespoons strong black loose-leaf tea
Method:
Add spices, water, ginger and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar to the pan and bring to a boil again. Add tea and bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Strain liquid into a warmed teapot or directly into teacups and serve.
***This organic blend is earthy & spicy, with a fragrant aroma & smooth flavor to captivate the senses. Naturally sweetened in the Kentucky sunshine & infused with natural energy. Equally delicious when served piping hot or crisply chilled.***
Jun 19th, '09, 20:55
Posts: 147
Joined: Apr 17th, '09, 11:36
Location: Mississippi
Alrighty THEN!!!Riene wrote:
Can someone post a recipe for the masala chai they make at home, please?
My favorite at the moment is really simple-About two thin slices of ginger, 6ish green cardamom pods(crushed and ground), 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup half and half, 2 teapsoons plus one HEAPING teaspoon of some red label mamri black tea or an assam(really up to you). This makes one solid cup.
In a saucepan, put the ginger in the water, bring it to a boil and then to a simmer for about 3-7mins depends on what strength you want. Then add the half and half, bring to a rolling boil, then take off heat, add cardamom and stir. Then bring back to a boil, take off heat, add tea and steep covered for 3-4mins or whatever you desire (or whatever tea type you use). Then strain into da cup brah!
Sometimes I add a dash of nutmeg, or perhaps one two inchish stick of cinnamon, a few black pepper corns, maybe one or two cloves, a dash of coriander, some mint, endless!!! I really enjoy experimenting with the blends and changing up the method of making the chai. Boil everything together, steep in hot water, alter when things are boiled, add hot milk at the very end. Boil the milk and tea separately. Literally everyone has their own method...
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=9406 -chai discussion here
I occasionally drink chai. It is a winter thing for me...for the most part.
But I did have a nice pot of Gyokuro at the tea shop tonight. I wanted spiral jade, but they were out. Anyhoo happy chai day.
But I did have a nice pot of Gyokuro at the tea shop tonight. I wanted spiral jade, but they were out. Anyhoo happy chai day.
"You want the taste of dried leaves in boiled water?"
"Er, yes. With milk."
"Squirted out of a cow?"
"Well, in a manner of speaking I suppose ..."
"Er, yes. With milk."
"Squirted out of a cow?"
"Well, in a manner of speaking I suppose ..."
Jun 19th, '09, 22:35
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
kymidwife wrote:This is my base recipe... I tweak it depending on my mood... less cinnamon, more pepper, etc. I coarsely chop the dry spices together in a small food processor, and find the flavor is more intense as a result.
- Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
3 cups water
1/4 inch fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I ground my own peppercorns)
2 cups milk
2 tablespoon sugar or honey
2 tablespoons strong black loose-leaf tea
Method:
Add spices, water, ginger and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar to the pan and bring to a boil again. Add tea and bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Strain liquid into a warmed teapot or directly into teacups and serve.
Nice! Thanks for the recipe! I'm definitely going to give this a go!
"The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation." - Bertrand Russell
Kymidwife and MASALACHAAAAIIIIII, thank you very much! I'll save these two recipes to try out this winter. Both look interesting and seem to fit my tastes (tiny amount of pepper and ginger, no anise).
I appreciate it!
Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
And you, you are a thousand miles away,
There are always two cups on my table.
--Tang Dynasty
And you, you are a thousand miles away,
There are always two cups on my table.
--Tang Dynasty
You are most welcome for the recipe... if you google there are tons of recipes out there, and as many variations as you can imagine.
For those who are going to try making their own... I added fresh orange zest yesterday for the first time, and it was realllly good. I am becoming a frequent zester for cooking lately! For the cold ice-blended frappa-latte, the orange was extremely refreshing and gave some cool balance to the "warm" spices. I've also really enjoyed adding coconut milk or shredded coconut to chai blends... very complementary to ginger and cardamom.
Good luck with your experiments.
Sarah
For those who are going to try making their own... I added fresh orange zest yesterday for the first time, and it was realllly good. I am becoming a frequent zester for cooking lately! For the cold ice-blended frappa-latte, the orange was extremely refreshing and gave some cool balance to the "warm" spices. I've also really enjoyed adding coconut milk or shredded coconut to chai blends... very complementary to ginger and cardamom.
Good luck with your experiments.
Sarah
***This organic blend is earthy & spicy, with a fragrant aroma & smooth flavor to captivate the senses. Naturally sweetened in the Kentucky sunshine & infused with natural energy. Equally delicious when served piping hot or crisply chilled.***
Chai tea, as in masala, is one of my favorites. I always try to keep some at home to have on weekends. In general, I don't like flavored black teas very much, because they frequently have more scent than taste, but masala is often flavored more strongly, so it works well for my tastes. With some sugar and milk, it's a delicious drink.
Jun 21st, '09, 16:22
Posts: 508
Joined: Apr 1st, '08, 12:43
Location: united states IL.
Contact:
silvermage2000