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RCI-BV.008.0018.001

Chai tea

A traditional drink of India, Masala Chai has become a popular beverage worldwide.

gluten-free
Prep10 min
Cook15 min
Total25 min
Servings4
Difficultyintermediate

Ingredients

  • fresh ginger root; grated
    2 teaspoons
  • star anise broken up
    1 whole
  • orange peel; grated
    1 teaspoon
  • cinnamon sticks; 1½ inch
    4 pieces
  • 1 teaspoon
  • 10 whole
  • 5 whole
  • 5 cups
  • black tea leaves; (like Assam or Darjeeling)
    ¼ cup
  • 1 teaspoon
  • ¼ cup
  • 3 cups

Method

1
Bundle up the first seven ingredients in a length of cheese cloth and tie it together with a string. This is called a bouquet garni (pronounced "boo-KAY gar-NEE").
3 minutes
2
Place the bouquet garni in a pot of water. The string should be tied to the handle for easy removal later on.
2 minutes
3
Bring the water to a very low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Boiling water may extract too much bitterness from the tea leaves.
10 minutes
4
Add tea leaves and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
15 minutes
5
Remove the bouquet garni.
1 minutes
6
Strain the remaining liquid through a sieve to remove tea leaves.
2 minutes
7
Add honey, vanilla, and milk.
2 minutes
8
Serve. Pour the mixture over crushed ice if you're serving it cold.
2 minutes