Chai Tea Recipe:
Fill a medium pot with 2 quarts of filtered water. Add 8 cinnamon sticks, 1 heaping tablespoon of cardamom seeds, 1/2 tablespoon of whole cloves, 1/2 tablespoon of black peppercorns and 5 slices of fresh ginger root. Boil 30 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer on a low flame for 2 hours. Add water as necessary. Remove from heat and let the concoction sit all night. In the morning, strain and store in fridge.
After heating the tea the next day, add 1 -2 teabags of black tea. Steep one minute. The black tea is an important healing catalyst in the tea.
Add milk and honey to taste.
Recipe #2:
If you don't have the time to make a batch of Chai Tea, try this alternative. It's also delicious!
At an Indian Sweets and Spices store in your area, buy a bag of tea spice called Tea Masala. It is very inexpensive and will last you ages! Tea Masala has all the spices for Chai Tea mixed together. Ask the store to recommend a box of nice black teabags. (We like the Red Label brand.) After boiling water, add your teabag and a pinch or two of Tea Masala. Then add milk (or soy) and honey to taste.
