-RC- Posted June 25, 2015 2.30pm is Chai o'clock in my house, so I thought I'd share my little recipe. The recipe can be varied to taste of course, but I will outline what I consider the essentials in a descending order of importance, on a per cup dosage sort-a thing. All ingredients are at least organic, bio-dynamic if possible. Ghee is homemade on BD butter. INGREDIENTS: Ghee - a teaspoon at least for 1 - 2 cups raw milk - 1/2 cup per cup water - 1/2 cup per cup honey - 1 tsp per cup cinnamon - 1/2 a standard quill per cup ginger - a slice per cup cloves - 3 per cup cardamom pods - 3 per cup star anise - 1 segment per cup bay leaves - 1/2 a leaf per cup nutmeg - pinch per cup black pepper - a pinch per cup salt - pinch per cup *optional for the rich folks vanilla bean - half a bean, with the inside scraped out and added with the whole bean pod as well Grind all dry ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Heat the ghee in a pot until hot, then chuck in ginger. Turn off heat and chaunce for a bit, then add ground ingredients. Fry for a bit without heat. Add honey. Turn heat back on and add milk first, then water. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 mins. Strain and pour. Add cold milk to cool. Enjoy! 15 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Horus Posted June 25, 2015 I can vouch for your chai .....its the grouse. I miss you old mate, I look forward to that day when I can visit, and I can share in your chai ritual. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted June 25, 2015 Me too mate. You're always welcome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted June 25, 2015 Sounds tasty. You can reuse vanilla beans - just rinse them off & leave on the windowsill to dry out til you need them for the next cuppa - they keep releasing aroma through many uses. Alternatively you can let them infuse into something (sugar, spirits - never tried it with honey but it should work too, maybe heat it up to help the process) and then use that. I figure the bean is just losing aroma while it's sitting in the cupboard anyway, so it might as well go into something and when I want the bean I can fish it out. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
etherealdrifter Posted June 25, 2015 *disclaimer: i know and fully appreciate your overtones towards irresponsible alcohol use RC -and i totally agree, so please don't throw stones and bones at me when i say that one of the best voddy in fusions i've ever drank was a mates vanilla bean vodka. He let it sit for 3 months? and at the end it was awesome for shots by the fire. He distilled his own raki from grapes must. That chai recipe is the bombbardment. Is the ghee infused with any fat soluble decarboxylated erbal additive? My mind is racing . 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted June 25, 2015 No stones, bones or overtones from me mate Feel free to share any legit alchemical infusion you like! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted June 25, 2015 I lived on chai for about three years I have the utmost respect for the humble cup of chai, and for folks that can produce the goodness 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangled Posted June 28, 2015 Yep nothing like a chai for a pick me up love it First time I've seen bay leaves used in a chai mix before though, interesting. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted June 29, 2015 I lived on chai for about three years I have the utmost respect for the humble cup of chai, and for folks that can produce the goodness how about you share your secret recipie? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coin Posted June 29, 2015 uhhhm, you realise "chai" means tea ?? as in black tea leaves... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangled Posted June 29, 2015 Good point, traditionally it does have some form of black tea in the mix usually assam. Some people don't like the caffeine though. I know I have to be careful with caffeine cause it plays up with my anxiety/insomnia. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted June 29, 2015 U know what we mean coin ;) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted June 30, 2015 I believe you mean cha.If we are getting specific I suppose masala chai would be a better term 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted June 30, 2015 So you do use tea leaves in your chai as well RC, or not? I've never quite got the hang of the long brew with tea in it - the leaves always end up giving a slightly bitter taste from the tannins after a long stewing, but that long cook is necessary to release all the delicious aromatics from the spices into the milk. Best compromise I've come up with is to just add the tea right near the end, but it still ends up a little bitter/astringent on the second cup or the reheat - and if I'm going to the trouble of making chai from scratch I want a nice big pot of it that I can be drinking all day. Second best is to just chuck a teabag in the mug & pour the spiced milk mixture on top of it, so the tea is never actually in the pot ruining the flavour with its tanniness when it gets old. But there must be a better way - chai wallahs have pots going for hours that taste just fine - I dunno, maybe they just use less tea? RC my basic mix is very similar to yours - then I adjust & add things sometimes for taste &/or medicine...eg. fennel for sweetness & to help digestion, ground coriander seeds for a more savoury brew, black cardamom for smoky flavour & to help sore throats. One of my favourite additions is to add a big pinch of cocoa - you'd think that a mixture of hot chocolate & black tea would be weird, but the spiced milk binds the flavours together & you end up with a rich chocolatey chai. And then if you're using cocoa, of course you can use any other flavours that go well with chocolate, like orange peel or coconut oil. I haven't tried one with tulsi leaves yet, but I think that'd be great too. Bay leaves are great in chai - one of the nicest cuppas I've had was made just with one small cinnamon stick and two bay leaves per cup, no other spices. Although the bay they used may have been "Indian bay" (tej patta) which apparently comes from a kind of cinnamon tree. They have a really nice cinnamon/clove flavour mixed in with the bay - excellent for savoury lentil dishes too. Great alternative to standard bay leaves for any dish where you want a mild clove-ey/cinnamon flavour as well, so they're perfect for chai. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted June 30, 2015 Yeah, I've ended my long romance with caffeine recently, but even so I rarely cooked chai with tea in it. As you mentioned it gets too bitter, so I ended up like you and simply adding a tea bag to the cup and steeping it for as long as necessary after pouring in the brew. That's my standard offer to the caffeine dependent amongst us these days. "I'll just pop a tea bag in your cup then will I love?" said in an old nanna's voice. Don't know how the pros do it tbh, but I have subbed in aniseed for star anise which is lovely as well. I've definitely found that the longer you cook it the stronger (not necessarily nicer) the flavours become, particularly with the cardamom and ginger. If you cook it for long enough the cinnamon quills straighten out! I used to be a staunch user of rice milk for chai, regardless of the fact that it separates dramatically after a decent boil. Rice milk is naturally sweeter than cow's though, and I have a shocking sweet tooth. I've had people comment that my chai is a 'sweet' chai, whereas I guess others they've had were more spicy or savory? Dunno, but I haven't drunk a whole lot of chai outside of my own, and nowadays I don't drink it anywhere but at home. Home is where the heart is I guess I've only had the black cardamom a few times, funnily enough in other herbal tea mixtures. I'm always looking for new ingredients to chuck in to get a bit of fresh alchemy happening, so I'm keen to hear about any other bits and pieces find their way into people's brews. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangled Posted July 1, 2015 Yeah yours would be sweet because of the vanilla pods, which is something I've noticed not every chai mix has. Maybe those people have had it without vanilla. I think of it as a blend of sweet and spicy. I've also noticed it's a hip thing (in Melbourne at least haha) to have it with soy milk. I've also had it as a mocha kind of thing in cafes. At home I use a pre made chai tea spice mix boiled in milk. But I'm going to try it one day from scratch with your recipe, the bay leaves really has me intruged on how it would taste in it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted July 1, 2015 (edited) I was having soy chai a decade ago Man yall have inspired me to get back on the chai train, I used to just buy local made mixes at the markets around the northern rivers. That rainbow chai wasn't bad either. Never made my own mix from scratch though I would love to try time permitting. On the someday list. Edit- anyone ever had a chilli chai? Does this exist. Edited July 1, 2015 by incognito 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted July 1, 2015 ^ I believe you just invented it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flora Posted July 1, 2015 Love ur recipe RC, especially inspired by the addition of bay. and its uncanny anodyne I was also thinking I'd love to put orange peel in there although I've never tried that in chai, and that coconut oil would be easier than ghee. Btw is cultured butter suitable for making ghee? Ginger could also be substituted for fresh turmeric, extra earthy goodness 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted July 1, 2015 Not sure about the butter question. I've only ever made ghee out of organic, unsalted butter, but I now use the Paris Creek BD butter. Coconut oil would definitely add a different flavour though, and the tumeric would most likely give it a certain yellowish hue Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted September 11, 2015 Mmmm.. So much goodness in this thread. I came here to share another alchemical recipie, they call this one Golden Milk. It's basically like a turmeric chai. Turmeric is especially known for its benefits to digestion, immune function, liver health and even possible protection from cancer. Ingredients 1 can of Coconut Milk plus 1 cup of water OR 3 cups of homemade coconut milk 1 teaspoon Turmeric 1 teaspoon Cinnamon 1 teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup or to taste Pinch of black pepper (increases absorption) Tiny piece of fresh, peeled ginger root or ¼ tsp ginger powder Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) Instructions Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Pour into a small sauce pan and heat for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Drink immediately I used fresh organic turmeric instead of powdered stuff, just skinned and chopped it very finely before blending. Also added more honey than the recipie directed cause I like it sweet. Nom nom nom.. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted September 11, 2015 ^Nice. I've had a dramatic shift over winter towards Responsible Cacao: PER CUP - 1/2 tsp of ghee slice of ginger 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 heaped tsp of raw cacao powder " " ground cinnamon pinch of salt pinch of black pepper 1 tsp of honey 1 cup raw milk (cardamom pods optional) Heat ghee on moderate heat. Add all ingredients except milk and gently fry for 30 secs. Add milk. Bring to slow boil. Serve just before boiling point with a splash of cold milk. Don't strain out the ginger because it will be cacao-coated most of the time 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-RC- Posted April 16, 2016 Thought I'd added this, but I hadn't, so I will. To set your chai to orgasmic add a teaspoon of raw cacao butter to each cup. Then sit down and cross your legs... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites