We’ve come a long way since those days when mothers would keep a pot of cloves and cinnamon sticks simmering on the stove on a crisp autumn afternoon.
When she was satisfied with how good the house smelled, she’d pour that precious amber liquid straight down the drain!
Little did Mum know, her warming spice stove-top concoction was brimming with health benefits and had endless potential for use in recipes.
Welcome to a wiser and more globally aware generation. Today, that liquid gets its due recognition as chai – a heady, fragrant brew used in India for thousands of years to elevate your tea-drinking experience and bestow a myriad of health benefits.
The traditional chai as we now know it features classic black tea, flavoured to your liking with the addition of a slow-simmered spice mix.
Spices that you’ll typically find in a rich cup of homemade robust chai include:
Cinnamon
Best when a stick of the curled bark is pulverised using a pestle and mortar.
Cinnamon has impressive health benefits, including lowering blood sugar, stimulating body functions, assisting gut health and killing germs.
Ginger
Chai just wouldn’t be chai without a piece of fresh ginger, crushed to release its powerful juices.
Ginger is a classic stomach settler, known to ease nausea and aid digestion. Ginger also helps to reduce inflammation in the body and rebalances the gut flora.
Cloves
Add three or four whole cloves to your pestle and mortar and grind down to a powder along with your other chai spices before adding to the simmer pot.
Clove is a known analgesic which means it relieves pain, having been used as a numbing agent in the dental industry for thousands of years. With a similar aroma and flavour as cinnamon, cloves share its talent for stimulating the body and cleansing the blood.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg can be grated directly into your simmer pot, where it imparts a sweet spicy flavor that is reminiscent of classic eggnog and pumpkin pie.
Nutmeg imparts a feeling of calm, nourishing the nervous system with a beneficial dose of magnesium that works together with calcium from the milk you add to your chai.
Cardamom
Crack open three or more black cardamom pods. Drop the tiny seeds from each pod into your pestle and mortar and crush up to mingle in with your chai spice blend.
Black cardamom stimulates digestive juices to balance the gut, prevent ulcers and delivers antioxidant benefits as it speeds up blood circulation.
Black peppercorns
Black peppercorns serve as an activator, increasing the effectiveness of the other spices and adding an extra kick to your warm cup of chai.
Make Chai at Home: Instructions
Ingredients:
1-2 Cinnamon sticks, can add whole, but crushing them in a mortar and pestle will help bring out the flavour
3-4 Whole cloves
1-Inch piece of fresh ginger
⅛ tsp Fresh grated nutmeg
3-4 Cardamom pods
10 Black peppercorns
To Make:
Add water to fill a quart sized saucepan ¾ of the way up and place on the stove, turning to medium high heat.
Add your fresh whole spices to a mortar and pestle. Crush and grind to a powder or chunks.
Add ground spices to your pot of water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the water level reduces to a third of the way down.
This is your warming spice blend. Not only is it wonderfully delicious and full of health benefits when added to a cup of black tea with milk, but this amber liquid boasts myriad uses in recipes.
Once cooled, store your chai blend of simmered spices in a Mason jar in the refrigerator.
Add a tablespoon or two of this potent mixture to your favorite comfort-food recipes and desserts.
Quick and Easy, Chai-Spiced Baked Apples
Makes a wonderfully sweet and simple dessert, or alternative to apple sauce served with roasted meats.
Ingredients:
3-4 Granny Smith applies
4 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Honey (optional)
3 Tbsp Chai spice liquid
¼ tsp Lemon zest
To make:
Grease the bottom of a Pyrex baking dish. Place three to four cored Granny Smith apples in the center of the dish.
Add a generous pot of butter to each apple. You can also drizzle honey over each if desired.
Spoon a bit of the chai spice mixture over each apple. Great some lemon zest over top.
Add about half an inch of water and bake in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes.
Overnight Chai Oats
Chai spices mingle beautifully with rolled oats, fruits and nuts in this easy to prepare, no-cook breakfast that’s bound to become a fast family favorite.
Ingredients:
1-2 Cups cooked oats
1 Cup milk
½ Cup shredded apple
2 Tbsp Raisins
2 Tbsp Chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp Honey (optional)
2 Tbsp Chai liquid
To Make:
Layer spoonfuls of uncooked oats with milk, shredded apple, chopped walnuts, raisins, a sprinkle of cinnamon and drizzle of honey if desired, into a Mason jar. Top off with two tablespoons of chai spice mixture.
Cap and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy at home or on the go as a cold cereal breakfast. Don’t forget your spoon!
Warm Chai-Spiced Pears
Healthful, mildy sweet and versatile. Makes a lovely fall dessert, or side of fruit with roasted meat or your hot cereal in the morning.
Ingredients:
2 ripe pears
2 Tbsp Chai spice liquid
2 Tbsp Butter
To Make:
Peel and cut pears into slices. Add to a pan along with about an inch of water, a tablespoon or two of chai spice liquid, and the butter.
Simmer on low to medium heat until pears are soft.
Serve warm, as an accompaniment to your breakfast cereal. Pour evaporated milk over top if desired.
Chai Apple Pie
Extra spice tastes nice in your slice… of warm apple pie.
Ingredients:
6 Granny Smith apples
1 Cup sugar
2 Tbsp Flour
3 Tbsp Chai spice liquid
½ tsp Lemon zest
½ tsp Cinnamon powder
1 Pre-made pie crust
To Make:
Line a Pyrex pie dish with a store-bought crust. Peel and slice 6 Granny Smith apples. Combine one cup sugar with the flour, chai spice liquid, lemon zest and cinnamon.
Mix well and pour into the pie shell. Roll out top crust and carefully lay over apples. Pinch in the sides and cut several slits in the top.
Bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes to an hour, or until pie is a golden colour on top.
Chai-Spiced Butternut Squash Mash
Tastes like a complicated recipe, but it’s super easy to make, and can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
1 Butternut squash
3-4 Tbsp Butter, softened
2 Tbsp Chai spice liquid
2 Tbsp Evaporated or skimmed milk
Cinnamon and nutmeg powder to taste
To Make:
Place a butternut squash in the oven. You can either slice it in half long ways, or insert the entire squash into the oven on a pan. Set the temperature to 180° and cook for about 40 minutes or until the outer shell can be pierced with a fork.
Remove squash from oven and let cool. Slice in half if you have not already. Remove and reserve seeds for baking, if desired.
Remove stringy parts, and discard. Scoop out the squash flesh and place in a large mixing bowl.
Add butter. Sweetened with sugar or honey if desired. Stir in the chai spice mix liquid, salt and evaporated or skimmed milk. Taste-test to check desired sweetness. Sprinkle with cinnamon ginger, and nutmeg if desired.
Serve as a side with roasted meat such as sliced turkey or pork roast with gravy. Or, layer with Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla) for a special fall dessert.
Chai-Spiced Apple Cider by the Cup
Lots of people make mulled apple cider which contains whole spices simmered in.
Take a shortcut, and spice up some warm apple cider by the cup. Just add a tablespoon of chai spice liquid after heating.
Feeling like you need extra warmth? Pour in a shot of brandy.