|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +layout: post |
| 3 | +title: Chai Tea |
| 4 | +tags: [recipes] |
| 5 | +page_css: | |
| 6 | + .chai-img { |
| 7 | + float: left; |
| 8 | + padding: 0.5em; |
| 9 | + } |
| 10 | +--- |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +Spice Mixture |
| 14 | +------------- |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +* 1/2 cup green cardamom |
| 17 | +* 1 cup black peppercorn |
| 18 | +* 3 tablespoons clove (~250 cloves) |
| 19 | +* 1/2 cup star anise |
| 20 | +* 1 cup ground cinnamon |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +Peel cardamom, then roast all spices for 8 minutes at 350° F. Grind |
| 23 | +and mix. Makes about 3 cups. |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +Concentrate |
| 26 | +----------- |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +* 2 kg water |
| 29 | +* 35 g spice mixture |
| 30 | +* 17 g crushed ginger |
| 31 | +* 175 g sugar |
| 32 | +* 75 g black tea |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +Mix spices, ginger, and sugar into water. Simmer 12 minutes. Add |
| 35 | +tea, steep 4 minutes, then strain. Makes about a liter and a half. |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +To serve, mix equal parts concentrate and milk, and heat. |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +Pictures |
| 40 | +-------- |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 43 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +Spices before toasting. This is a large batch, lasting about 3 months |
| 47 | +of morning tea. The mortar and pestle helps to break up the cardamom |
| 48 | +pods, making them easier to peel. |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 51 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 52 | +<!-- {: class="chai-img" style="width: 33%"} --> |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +Spices after toasting and grinding. Not everything passes through a |
| 55 | +sieve by the time its fully ground, mostly with a few bits of star |
| 56 | +anise sticking around. |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 59 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +The spice mixture lasts quite a while. I usually store the extra in |
| 62 | +the freezer, but haven't experimented with storing it at room |
| 63 | +temperature to see if that's required. If using minced ginger instead |
| 64 | +of crushed, double the amount used. Crushing the ginger is easier to |
| 65 | +process in bulk, and can be stored in covered ice cube trays. |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +Oh, and it always seems like too much sugar when making a large batch. |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 70 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +There's some risk of boiling over if the spices are floating on top of |
| 73 | +the pot. Stirring them in, so you avoid having any pockets of dry |
| 74 | +spices, prevents this from occurring. |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 77 | +{: class="chai-img" style="width: 50%"} |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +After simmering, turn off the heat, add the tea, and let it steep, |
| 80 | +then strain. |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +I really should get around to measuring the weight of the strained |
| 85 | +grounds, to determine how much of the 700 gram difference is due to |
| 86 | +wet tea leaves, and how much is due to evaporation while simmering. |
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