Chai Tea
On my trips to India I drank my share of Chai. They make it quite differently than we do in the States. It was extremely addictive and my favorite time of day was Tea Time, which in India is any time; morning, noon or night.
They prepared Chai by boiling black tea (the Red Label brand) in Water Buffalo Milk. If spices were available they used them, but at the Orphanage where I was working spices were a delicacy that the rich enjoyed, so ours was good enough with just sugar which seems to be abundant in India. And the more the better. They were always fixing a separate pot for the Assistant Director and me who didn’t want it too sweet. The only trouble is they serve tea in tiny little cups. I guess because they always leave you wanting more. As my dear Father In-Law says….”Tastes like more!”
Once I started healing my allergy to dairy, I realized that I could not drink boiled milk although I didn’t have an intolerance to Water Buffalo Milk probably because I’d never had it before. When you boil milk it changes to the protein structure which seemed to cause me a lot of stomach disease. Plus heating raw milk over 117*, according to Dr William Campbell Douglass, II, MD in The Milk Book, takes it from alive food to dead food and I want my milk alive with enzymes and their healing qualities. However, the recipe using boiled milk is superior to all others that I’ve had. And if you’re not using boiled milk all the time, why not give it a try.
My recipe includes Organic Teas & Spices. I use Organic English Breakfast Tea and a little Oolong and Darjeeling loose Teas (that is after I used up all my boxes of “Red Label” that the Indian people said I had to have to make good Chai)!!! I throw in a good handful or two (except if ground, then just several tablespoons) of Cinnamon Chips, Ground Nutmeg, Cardamom Pods, Whole Cloves, Ground Ginger to about 1 pound of tea. Chai Tea is a wonderful winter tea. The spices are warming to the body and aid in digestion. I use a tablespoon of tea to 2 Cups boiling water and steep it for 3 minutes. I recently learned that after steeping tea for 3 min’s the remaining tea is decaffeinated. My first cup is high test with caffeine and the second cup is decaff from recycling the Chai Tea mix. I use a strainer that fits over the rim of my mug and I compost it when I’m finished with my second cup. I dollop one generous tablespoon of heavy cream and a dab of butter, add some local raw honey and I’m good to go. (I buy my Organic Tea & Spices from Mountain Rose Herbs.)
According to Nutritional Data, Tea has 7.1 mg/per serving of Omega 3 to 2.4 mg/per serving of Omega 6. It has been shown to be a cancer fighting food with antioxidant polyphenols ranking high if not higher than some fruits and veggies in their polyphenol content.
Some of my fond memories of India.
