Ayurvedic chai tea

I discovered how to make this delicious warming chai on an Ayurvedic retreat with Robyn Lynch. Here’s the recipe with a few extra additions! This drink will get you through winter 🙂

Ingredients:

equal amounts of: (sorry I just don’t measure things out very precisely!)

Ajwain seeds

black pepper

cardamon pods

cumin seeds

cinnamon quills (just a few of these but grind in the mortar and pestle!)

fennel seeds

two English breakfast tea bags or more if making a bigger batch

plus – a sprinkling of star anise and whole cloves and fresh grated ginger

unhomogenised milk and raw sugar

optional extras: orange peel

method:

mix all the spices up in a mortar and pestle (as I may industrial supplies of this I do a huge batch once every couple of weeks and store it in a jar)

Heat up about a pan of water (around 2-4 cups) and add a big scoop of fresh ginger when starting to boil, turn to a simmer and add tea bags and all the spices.

After about 5-10 minutes add raw sugar (around one teaspoon per cup) and in final couple of minutes add unhomogenised full cream milk till the mix is the colour of a medium brewed cup of tea!

Ensure the milk doesn’t boil and then pour through a sieve and serve immediately. You can store in fridge for up 24 hours, but best served fresh.