CC Spicy Chai Tea

I remember my first taste of chai.  It was on a food co-op camp when I was a student.  It was in a ramshackle place in the country with a grassy yard.  My fellow students were mostly non-conformists who wanted to change the world; the type to wear chunky knits and fun hats, who would go to rallies, and eat tofu and sprouts.  Everyone sat around in the yard, playing guitars and drums, brushing each others hair and talking about life, the universe and everything.

In those days life seemed simple.  Black and white.  Good and bad.  Capitalists and lefties.  We didn't need to eat meat or dairy.  There were alternatives.  Large pots stewed on the stove.  One was full of soy chai.  I said I didn't like milk and someone suggested I try soy instead.  I had a sip of the soy chai.  It tasted just like milk to me.  Horrid!  I love spices.  Yet I've been shy of chai ever sense because it is so often milky.

The latest theme of the Cookbook Challenge is Cup.  I unashamedly was quite literal about interpreting it.  No lateral thinking with mousses or souffles in cups.  I rifled through my cookbook for a drink ideas.  I had to look hard.  Beverages are the sections of my cookbooks that I usually ignore in favour of baking and soups.  I am lazy about drinks.  Blogging has made me rethink my approach to liquids every now and again.

I love hot spicy drinks in winter.  Mulled wine, spiced mead, hot port.  Yes, boozy warm drinks are just the way to keep out the cold.  I also love herbal tea but have not drunk them much lately.  So when flicking through How it All Vegan, I was taken by a recipe for Spicy Chai Tea.  It was made by simmering spices, adding some peppermint tea (or orange pekoe but that is too much tannin for me) and then adding some sweetner and milk.  The ingredients were pantry staples.  I thought I would try the Chai without the milk.

I had to clean out a disused teapot that made me nostalgic for my early days of blogging.  It has a great wire mesh strainer in it.  It was a simple recipe and yet I didn't get it quite right.  When I poured the tea into the teapot, I spilled rather a lot.  Fortunately I did it on the sink so it was easy enough to clear up.  I still got 2 mugs of drink.  Spicy, warming, slightly sweet.  It needed a spoonful of honey but was lovely without the milk. See what my fellow cookbook challengees made here.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Chocolate custard crumble
This time two years ago: What does home mean to you?
This time three years ago: Split Pea Soup goes Asian
This time four years ago: Nubbly Bread and Hearty German Soup

Spicy Chai Tea
Adapted from How it All Vegan
serves 2-4

4 cups of water
1 tsp cardomom seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp cloves
1 heaped tsp of chunks of fresh ginger
1 cinnamon quill
2 peppermint teabags
honey or other sweetener to serve

Place water and spices in a medium saucepan.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat.  Put teabags in and cover pot so they can steep for about 5-10 minutes.  Strain into teapot and serve hot in mugs.

On the Stereo:
Recollections: the very best of Rick Wakeman (1973-1979)