Spiced sweetened milk tea. Every Indian family has their own recipe to make chai, but the most important base spice is cardamon. And you just don’t throw in some cardamoms; you have to tear the pods apart lovingly with your hands. My friend, Monis Rahman, taught me that. Somehow, working the cardamoms with your hands, brings out all the essential oils in the spice….or so he says. The sweet fragrance of cardamon mixed with other spices such as fennel, cloves and cinnamon gives the tea a heady aroma. The tea is simmered slowly to extract its full strength.

Goes really well with curries and hot foods. The tea is addictive! You won’t stop at just one cup.

Ingredients

Some cheesecloth and kitchen twine
15 cardamon pods
1 star anise
5 pieces cloves
2 tablespoons fennel seed
2 sticks cinnamon
7 1/2 cups water
10 teabags Orange Pekoe tea (Lipton, PGs, Tetleys or any other British brand teas)
3 cups evaporated milk
8 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
1. Place spices (except for cinnamon sticks) in a cheesecloth or a teaball and bundle tightly together with kitchen twine.
2. In a large pot, add water, teabag, spice bag and cinnamon sticks and bring to a gentle boil. When it boils simmer under a slow fire for about 20 minutes.
3. Remove spice bag, teabags and cinnamon sticks.
4. Mix in milk and sugar. Bring back to a boil.
5. Sieve into a teapot before serving
Serves: 10

Tags: Cinnamon, Cumin, drinks, Fennel, Indian, Spices, Star anise, tea, Vegetarian.