I've Done It!!!...

...almost. As some of you know, the main aim of my existence is trying to brew that perfect cup of chai. (giggle) Just kidding. No really, I was kidding. The second main aim of my existence is trying to brew that perfect cup of chai :-). Obsessed? Not a chance. I have recently learned how to prepare a chai teabag by brewing it in hot, sweetened milk, but today, I ran across a real recipe for it. This is the version that I came up with to accommodate for the ingredients that we had on hand. It's not perfect, but it's something to work with at least. For those of you who are not familiar with chai, I like to call it, "black/green tea with it's boots on" (yeah, I thought that was pretty clever too). Read this for a more detailed explanation. So, without further ado, here is my imperfect recipe: Chai Tea

~1/4tsp powdered ginger

~1/4tsp cinnamon

~3 cloves

~1/2tsp vanilla extract

~2 pinches nutmeg

~1tsp sugar

~2Tbs honey

~2 green or black tea bags

~1 cup water

~1 cup milk

Boil the water in a sauce pan. Turn off the heat under the water, and cut open the teabags. Dump the tea leaves into the boiled water, and add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla. Give it all a good stir. Mix in the nutmeg, sugar, and honey. Turn on a low heat and allow to simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk. At this point, the original recipe says to bring it to a boil, but due to my wee little sauce pan, I just made sure that it was good and heated. Pour the entire mixture through a tea strainer to make sure that you're not drinking leaves, and enjoy the satisfaction of having made your own cup of tea.

This recipe was a tad bit sweet for me. I'll probably cut down on the honey and vanilla next time, but I absolutely love everything else. If you have any realistic chai recipes (you know, the ones that call for ingredients that us normal people have around the house), PLEASE leave a comment and share it with me!

posted by Lydia