Ingredients:

2 cups water

4 cardamom pods, smashed

2-3 pieces of fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

1-2 pieces star anise

1 cup milk

3 teaspoons loose black tea

Sweetener, to taste

Preparation:

Combine the water, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and star anise together in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for a few minutes, or until you smell the spices releasing their fragrance. Add the milk and tea leaves and simmer for a few more minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine metal sieve into the cups, add sweetener to taste, and enjoy!

Sometimes I just want to make a cup or two, and so instead of the whole spices I use ground spices with the milk, black tea, and sweetener. I use approximately an 1/8 teaspoon of ground clove, and ¼ teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.

In addition to these spices, you can also experiment with fennel seed, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds.

Download the recipe as PDF: Chai Recipe