In an effort to get rid of a lingering cough, I've been drinking lots of homemade herbal teas lately, especially this particular tea recipe and the
previous one I posted just a few days ago. Drinking these herbal teas really seems to help! So, I thought I'd share another tea recipe with you, in case you were looking to soothe your throat or warm yourself up after being outdoors, especially now that the weather's getting colder.
Both this recipe and the
other, previously posted one are made using whole spices, which are boiled & then steeped to release their essences.
This tea is delicious served plain, i.e., as an herbal tea, or with the addition of decaffeinated tea leaves, milk, & honey (chai).
Herbal Masala Tea (Chai)
Ingredients:
4 c. water
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled & sliced into 4 thin rounds (about 1" piece)
4 sticks cinnamon bark, dried
10 whole cloves, dried
10 whole green cardamom pods
10 whole allspice berries
10 whole (black or green) peppercorns
nondairy lite creamer or milk, to taste
Optional Ingredients:
4 tsp. decaffeinated loose tea (or 2-3 decaffeinated tea bags)*
honey, to taste
Directions: Bring the (4 c.) water to a rolling boil in a medium-sized sauce pot or tea kettle, about 8 minutes. Add all herbs & spices (& loose tea in a tea ball or a tea bag, if desired) & continue to boil for another 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to steep for another 1-2 minutes, strain to remove whole herbs & spices, & then pour into a tea pot. (If it's easier, use heat-proof tongs first to remove the larger pieces -- ginger, cinnamon bark, etc. -- before straining.) (Discard tea leaves/bag, if using.) Pour into tea cups, add desired amount of milk & honey and serve.
Yield: Makes about 4-6 servings.
Chef's Notes: Please be sure to use whole
green cardamom pods (i.e., cardamom in its natural, unprocessed form) and
NOT the bleached ones that are sold in generic grocery stores (i.e., the cardamom pods from
McCormick's Gourmet Collection ). In the latter case, not only has their color been bleached out, but so has their flavor & nutrients! Natural green cardamom smells wonderfully vibrant & heady and when you boil the pods, along with the other whole spices, they will make your whole kitchen smell absolutely divine!
Green cardamom pods can be
ordered online or found in a local ethnic (i.e., Indian, Asian, etc.) market.
*If you're adding decaffeinated tea, I'd particularly recommend using either darjeeling, jasmine, or green tea, all of which work quite nicely with the above spice mix. The spices in this recipe provide enough flavor as is, so it's important to choose tea leaves that won't overpower or conflict with the spices' bold flavors.
Both this recipe and the other, previously posted one are made using whole spices, which are boiled & then steeped to release their essences.
This tea is delicious served plain, i.e., as an herbal tea, or with the addition of decaffeinated tea leaves, milk, & honey (chai).
Herbal Masala Tea (Chai)
Ingredients:
4 c. water
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled & sliced into 4 thin rounds (about 1" piece)
4 sticks cinnamon bark, dried
10 whole cloves, dried
10 whole green cardamom pods
10 whole allspice berries
10 whole (black or green) peppercorns
nondairy lite creamer or milk, to taste
Optional Ingredients:
4 tsp. decaffeinated loose tea (or 2-3 decaffeinated tea bags)*
honey, to taste
Directions: Bring the (4 c.) water to a rolling boil in a medium-sized sauce pot or tea kettle, about 8 minutes. Add all herbs & spices (& loose tea in a tea ball or a tea bag, if desired) & continue to boil for another 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to steep for another 1-2 minutes, strain to remove whole herbs & spices, & then pour into a tea pot. (If it's easier, use heat-proof tongs first to remove the larger pieces -- ginger, cinnamon bark, etc. -- before straining.) (Discard tea leaves/bag, if using.) Pour into tea cups, add desired amount of milk & honey and serve.
Yield: Makes about 4-6 servings.
Chef's Notes: Please be sure to use whole green cardamom pods (i.e., cardamom in its natural, unprocessed form) and NOT the bleached ones that are sold in generic grocery stores (i.e., the cardamom pods from McCormick's Gourmet Collection ). In the latter case, not only has their color been bleached out, but so has their flavor & nutrients! Natural green cardamom smells wonderfully vibrant & heady and when you boil the pods, along with the other whole spices, they will make your whole kitchen smell absolutely divine!
Green cardamom pods can be ordered online or found in a local ethnic (i.e., Indian, Asian, etc.) market.
*If you're adding decaffeinated tea, I'd particularly recommend using either darjeeling, jasmine, or green tea, all of which work quite nicely with the above spice mix. The spices in this recipe provide enough flavor as is, so it's important to choose tea leaves that won't overpower or conflict with the spices' bold flavors.