Hello Everyone and welcome to our first Living Skills Blog and Chai Recipe
We will be using this space to share ideas, thoughts, recipes etc about living sustainably and self sufficiently in our homes, so please feel free to join us with anything you would like to see, add or say. Email recipes etc to juliegundlach@livingchange.com.au and it will then go up on our 'Living Skills Share Page'.
Throughout the year we will be holding workshops, beginning in July with making our own beautiful, healthy and very effective Chemical Free Household products. You will discover the many joys of cleaning your toilet bowl whilst boosting your immune systems at the same time! Please keep an eye out for when to register and for further details of this workshop and others on both this Page and Facebook.
To kick off I'm going to share the Chai recipe that many people have asked me for from the PNB International Permaculture Day Festival we held last week.
A bit of Chai history first - Chai, which basically means tea (so when we ask for a cup of Chai Tea, we are actually asking for a cup of Tea Tea!) dates back approximately 5000 years to the ancient courts of Siam and India. Legend has it that a king made a recipe in a quest to create a healing beverage. Since that time chai has been used in Ayurvedic medicine and many of its ingredients are helpful for treating colds, flu, stomach ailments, digestive problems, lung issues and other common maladies.
This is a recipe that I've been using for years so give it a try and play around with it until it tastes just as you like it. Its best to buy the spices in bulk as its cheaper and much easier and you can then make up big batches to use as you go along. I buy organic spices online or you can try the Indian Grocery stores like the one In Dee Why which will have all you need.
CHAI SPICES
125g dried Ginger pieces or Ginger powder. (Leave this out if you prefer to use fresh ginger, then add 1-3 slices, or to taste for every 4 cups or so).
80g Black Pepper (less if not wanting it too spicy)
50g Cinnamon sticks
50g Cardamom
5g (1 Tbs) Cloves
5g (1 Tbs) Nutmeg
40g Black Tea or Roasted Dandelion if wanting caffeine free. (You won't need an expensive tea for Chai. Yellow Label Tea is recommended as its strong and won't be over powered by the Chai spices)
Grind spices together with a mortar and pestle or food processor and store in an airtight jar. You can also buy spices as powder which work very well, I prefer it a bit chunky, so experiment to see what you like best.
This recipe will make 2 cups of delicious Heart Warming Chai...
1 cup milk (I use Bonsoy, but whatever you fancy)
1 cup water
1 - 2 Tbs, or to taste of Raw Honey
1 - 2 Tsp Chai Spice depending on how spicy you like it.
Pour all ingredients into a saucepan and allow to heat gently until small bubbles appear around the perimeter of the milk. Stir the chai, scraping the bottom to avoid scalding the milk.
When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat and stir well. Bring to a boil once again, turn off the heat and stir again. Allow to steep for a few minutes. Strain carefully into a cup, and serve.
One of the great things about this recipe is that you can just keep adding more water, milk and honey to the spices already in the pan. I keep a pan on the go for several days and just keep adding to it when needed. After a few cups you might want to add a bit more spice, but you will find that this batch will last for ages making it very economical as well as totally delicious.
Enjoy!
Julie Gundlach has been qualified in many areas of health and wellbeing for over 20 years including Advanced Classical Herbal Medicine, Clinical Aromatherapy and Psychotherapy.