Welcome to August’s In Purrsuit of Flavours. This month’s theme is tea, probably something near and dear to a British heart, right Norman?
Woof woof, mum!
As a general rule, I don’t normally drink tea but as someone who loves Indian food, I do very much enjoy a nice Chai tea with my meal or even with dessert. Chai also makes for a lovely substitute for coffee. Hot or iced, it can be a lovely change of pace beverage to begin one’s day.
So what is this beverage known as chai tea? Chai is the Hindi word for “tea,” which was derived from “cha,” the Chinese word for “tea”. Chai is a mix of spices steeped into a tea-like beverage. Recipes for chai vary across continents and cultures but traditional ingredients usually include black tea mixed with strong spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and black peppercorns. The spiced tea mixture is typically brewed strong with milk and sweetened with sugar or honey. That milky, sweet tea treat ordered in coffee and tea shops today has very little in common with the origins of Indian chai. Premade chai tea beverages are available everywhere and may be costly but you can make a DIY easy to make dry chai mix as an alternative.
DIY Instant Chai Latte Mix (Courtesy of Southern In Law Blog)
[Makes one large jar of mix, equal to around 25-30 servings]
2 cups (250g) dry milk powder
1 1/4 cup (250g) coconut sugar *
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg**
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
- Add ingredients to blender or food processor (making sure it’s important so your milk powder doesn’t become moist and lumpy).
- Blend all the ingredients until everything is fine and incorporated.
- Store mix in an airtight jar or container.
* NOTE:
Brown or white sugar can be substituted for the coconut sugar which is made from the nectar of coconut palm tree flowers whereas brown sugar comes from either cane sugar or sugar beets, just like white sugar.
How to Use the Mix:
- To make a Chai Tea Latte: Brew black tea in a teapot or separate cup. Add 1-2 heaped tablespoons of mix to the bottom of your cup and pour the tea on top. Alternatively, add your dry mix to a saucepan, mix with a small amount of hot water to dissolve and add in milk and a tea bag, heating over a medium-low heat until heated through and your tea has steeped.
- To make a Dirty Chai: Add 1-2 tbsp of mix to the bottom of your mug and pour over hot brewed coffee, stirring to combine. Your can also make an iced coffee version, blending the mix in a blender with your iced coffee ingredients or dissolving the mix in a small amount of boiling water before adding your iced coffee ingredients.
Additional Notes:
- Like all the recipes shared here, these ingredients are a guide. Play around with the proportions, adding more/less spices, milk powder, and sugar to suit your own taste buds.
- Skim/nonfat or full fat milk powder can be used, according to your choice.
- If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use regular white or brown sugar. Stevia or other sweeteners can also be substituted for the sugar.
- Paleo and Vegan Option: you can use coconut milk powder instead of milk powder here.
**The next time I whip up a batch, I will likely eliminate the nutmeg so avoid having tiny floating bits on the surface.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
