Recipe

Yes!  Yum!!  (Although I will say that my kids, who both love carrots, and one of whom I consider a ‘sophisticated’ eater, will not eat these.  More for me!)

Also found in The Forest Feast Cookbook

I never thought I liked chai.  Turns out, I just didn’t like the overly-sweetened, overly-creamy ones found at most coffee shops.  But then we were lucky enough to have a tea shop open near us that specialized in chai–warm, delicious, simple chai.

We’ve moved since then, and even though I would hardly call this a ‘copy cat’ of the authentic chai found at our local tea spot, I still enjoy a cup for this from time to time. This recipe is adapted from the Tibetan-Style Chai recipe in Moosewood Celebrates cookbook.  I would love to provide an online link to the original, because I never like to share someone else’s recipe on my site.  But since this one is modified, I’ll share it here.

Modified from Moosewood Celebrates

2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp (or less) dried ginger (I like way less than the original recipe calls for, which was 2, I think? and I keep it simple with the dried ginger)
1/2 tsp (or a bit more) cardamom seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp loose black tea

Bring above ingredients to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes

Then add:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar (I’d love to say I add less, but sometimes I find that more than this amount actually makes the whole thing better)

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes
Strain.
Serve.

I once thought it would be clever to strain the spices before adding the milk and sugar, but that didn’t work out well for me.  I do recommend waiting until the end.

Above is the modified version, cut in half, but it still makes a lot.  I usually cut it in half again. (shown below)

1 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp or less dried ginger
1/4 tsp or more cardamom seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp black tea

later, add

1 cup milk
1/8 cup sugar (or 2 Tbsp)