Spiced Chai Tea

In a mortar and pestle, bash the cardamom pods until they're all open and the seeds inside are somewhat squashed. Add the cloves and cinnamon and bash away some more.

Add all the ingredients except the tea into approx 250ml water in a pan, and bring to the boil and keep simmering for 10 minutes.

Now add the tea and boil (yes, I know what you're thinking) for a minute or two. Now add approx 250ml of milk and bring slowly back to the boil. I must say, copper pans are great for this job because they hardly ever burn on the bottom, but I have yet to find one that pours efficiently.

Strain into a cup (or two) and sweeten just beyond your threshold (use sugar, jaggery, honey or maple syrup). After it's strained, you could use one of those little battery operated whisks to froth it into a chai latté.

The above spices and method also work wonderfully for a coffee version. Just don't add tea, and at the end of preparation add a little espresso until you have a milky spiced coffee. Another thing I've been playing with is adding grated coconut and ground almonds, but watch it...if you're boiling the water away with almonds it acts just like it has milk in it and boils over =) Tip: Ginger is said to help cure/ prevent throat infections and colds etc. I must say I haven't had a cold in a long while.

In a mortar and pestle, bash the cardamom pods until they're all open and the seeds inside are somewhat squashed. Add the cloves and cinnamon and bash away some more.

Add all the ingredients except the tea into approx 250ml water in a pan, and bring to the boil and keep simmering for 10 minutes.

Now add the tea and boil (yes, I know what you're thinking) for a minute or two. Now add approx 250ml of milk and bring slowly back to the boil. I must say, copper pans are great for this job because they hardly ever burn on the bottom, but I have yet to find one that pours efficiently.

Strain into a cup (or two) and sweeten just beyond your threshold (use sugar, jaggery, honey or maple syrup). After it's strained, you could use one of those little battery operated whisks to froth it into a chai latté.

The above spices and method also work wonderfully for a coffee version. Just don't add tea, and at the end of preparation add a little espresso until you have a milky spiced coffee. Another thing I've been playing with is adding grated coconut and ground almonds, but watch it...if you're boiling the water away with almonds it acts just like it has milk in it and boils over =) Tip: Ginger is said to help cure/ prevent throat infections and colds etc. I must say I haven't had a cold in a long while.