Chai Tea

I LOVE chai! I have never really been a coffee drinker, or a big drinker of tea, until the last couple of years when I have got into herbal teas in a big way. I absolutely love Pratty’s teas…she is a New Zealand naturopath, herbalist and mummy using her skills to create many delicious and health-benefitting concoctions. Most visitors to my house have sampled one or more of her teas, especially Nutty Apple Crumble which was my favourite for quite some time. I also love Good Night Nurse (a bedtime tea), and Nothing To Sneeze At (which definitely helped during hayfever season).

I also enjoy making some of my own teas, and there is something about the ritual of making Chai that I find relaxing. Traditionally Chai is made with a black tea but I make my version with Rooibos (also known as Red Bush, and technically not a tea but a herb).

Rooibos Chai Tea is a popular choice for people having break from, reducing, or giving up coffee. This is especially the case if it is the milk content you are missing when you switch to herbal teas, as chai is traditionally a milky drink.

Some of the health benefits of Rooibos tea:

Caffiene-Free…naturally. The rooibos bush grows naturally without any caffeine, so it hasn’t undergone any chemical treatment to remove the caffeine (such as with most de-caffeinated drinks). It also makes it safe to drink in pregnancy, and at any time of the day!

Aids Iron Absorption. Most black tea can prevent your body absorbing iron properly due to the tannins it contains. Rooibos contains less than half the tannins of black tea, and can actually assist the absorption of iron by your body.

Assists with restful sleep. Due to the high mineral content, and no caffeine, of rooibos tea it can help people feel calm and relaxed, making it a perfect before-bed drink.

Antioxident and mineral rich. Like other teas, rooibos has flavonoids that act as antioxidents. Rooibos is rich in many minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, zinc, magnesium…

There are many variations of ingredients in Chai tea, so have a play and find your favourite. Traditionally Chai is brought to the boil and steeped three times, and sometimes it is actually this ritual that I am after as it encourages me to slow down my day for a little while. When that is how I am feeling I make the tea from scratch. Other times all I am after is the delicious spicy flavour and the comfort of a hot drink. For times like that I keep a batch of this recipe in the fridge, ready to go.

Chai Tea Mix

This makes approximately 9 cups of mix, making 12 cups when milk is added. You can easily divide this recipe by 3 to make a smaller batch.

Ingredients

9 cardamom pods
9 cloves
9 star anise
9 black peppercorns
3-4 Tbsp of chopped ginger (I leave the skin on)
9 cups water
9 tsp rooibos tea
3 cups milk (rice and almond work well)
cinnamon for sprinkling

Method

Combine the cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and star anise, and crush lightly in a mortar and pestle (or leave whole).
Add the spices and the ginger to a pot and cover with 9 cups of water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then take off the heat and let steep for 5 minutes.
Add rooibos tea, bring back to the boil, remove from heat again and leave to steep for another 5 minutes. If you are serving immediately add the milk in this step with the tea. If you are making to store in the fridge, don’t add the milk.
Strain through a sieve to serve, or store the mix in a glass bottle in the fridge, it will keep for a couple of weeks.
To serve use 1 part milk to 3 parts chai mix (eg: 1/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup chai mix to make 1 cup). Heat close to boiling point and serve sprinkled with cinnamon.

Variation: Mocha Chai mix in 1 tsp of cacao per cup before serving. Iced Chai serve over ice and cold milk