Chai recipes by Chaplain’s Office PL Alysha Siddiqi (TD ‘23)
Traditional Chai
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
1 Black Tea Bag
1 Cardamom Pod
Pinch of fennel seeds
Small cinnamon stick
1/2 Cup of Milk/Milk Substitute
Preferred sweetener
1 cup of water
Steps:
1. Add one cup of water to a pan, and bring to a boil.
2. Add in tea bag, cardamom, fennel seeds and cinnamon.
3. Once the tea has boiled, turned a deep color and become frothy, add in milk.
4. Allow the chai to boil completely. Once it boils (almost above the pan), remove the chai from the heat and turn the heat to a low setting. Allow for the chai to cook, for around 3 more minutes.
5. Continuously stir, checking to see the thickness of the chai. Cook until the chai has a cream-like consistency.
6. Add in preferred sweetener.
7. Remove from pan, strain into a cup, and enjoy!
Coffee-shop style Chai Concentrate
Servings: 9-12
Ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
4.5-6 cups of water
8 black tea bags
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10 whole cloves
8 cardamom pods
2 sticks of cinnamon
(Optional: 1/2 tablespoon of ginger)
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (or one vanilla bean)
Steps:
1. Bring 4.5-6 cups of water to a simmer, and add in 1/3 cup of white sugar to make a simple syrup.
2. Stir to combine. Once the syrup has come to a boil, add in tea bags, orange zest, black pepper, whole cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger.
3. Lower the heat (so the tea is at a simmer) and allow the tea to sit for 20 minutes.
4. Once 20 minutes have passed, add vanilla extract and honey.
5. Add 1/2 cup of the chai concentrate to 1/2 cup of preferred milk, and enjoy!
6. Store the remaining chai concentrate for later use!