A lot of people as me "How to make good Chai (tea in the hindi language)".. the key is in the spices and the quality of tea. We all know that the quality of the end product depends on the ingredients that go into what you are making.
So here is a simple "spice mix" for Chai.. Please feel free to add more of what you like, and avoid what ever you don't prefer. For example, I like cardamom a lot, but don't fancy cinnamon too much.. so I add more of cardamom and less of cinnamon. I like to add the saffron and vanilla bean when the water boils, so I usually don't add them in the mix.
Ingredients:
Cardamom - 8 to 10 pods
Clove - 5-6
Cinnamon - 1/4 inch stick
Star Anise - 1/8 inch piece
Ginger powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Saffron - 6-10 strands
Pepper - 1-2 pods
Nutmeg - 1/8 teaspoon
Vanilla bean - 1/8 inch piece
1. Use a coffee grinder/mortar & pestle set/kitchen counter & knife to mix and coarse grind the spices.
2. Store the mix in a air-tight glass/plastic container.
3. Keep the container in the refrigerator or any cool, dry place.
You only need to add 1/2 teaspoon per cup of tea - so make small quantities to ensure that the mix is always fresh.
Quick tips:
- If your cup of chai tastes "perfect" then write down the ingredients (with the exact quantity used.)
If you think you need more of one spice, you can always add it to the mix.
- If you don't like it all together, you can always throw away the mix and start from scratch. Use small quantities of the spices for the "trial" so that you don't feel too bad about throwing away spices..
Let your taste buds decide the ingredients and the quantity of the same..
Try this, and let me know your "mix".
Some useful links to learn more about spices:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai
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