Ginger - warms the lungs and digestion - great for beginning stages of a cold with watery, runny nose or when you’ve had too many cold-natured foods that slow digestion. Warming for the body as it promotes perspiration.
Cardamon & clove - strengthens stomach qi, treating belching, nausea, and vomit
Nut meg - warms the digestive system, aiding with food stagnation, bloating, or feelings of nausea
Cinnamon - increases circulation to warm the body, has a diaphoretic effect which is useful for the beginning stages of a cold or flu
Black Pepper - helps to stop diarrhea and warm the interior
Chai Tea Recipe:
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 6-8 green cardamom pods
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 Tbsp grated ginger (for less intense ginger flavor, slice instead of grating)
- 3 Tbsp loose leaf black tea (or ~3-4 black tea bags // use decaf as needed)
- 2 cups dairy-free milk (we favor oat milk, coconut milk, and cashew milk // use thicker, richer dairy-free milks like canned coconut milk or our Oatly recipe for creamier chai!)
- Sweetener such as stevia, organic cane sugar, or maple syrup to taste
Instructions:
1. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and cloves to the bowl of a mortar (or cutting board) and use pestle (or heavy pan) to slightly crush the spices. You aren’t pulverizing into a powder, just slightly crushing into small pieces
2. To a medium saucepan add crushed spices, water, and grated (or sliced) ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. (Note: For a less gingery chai, reduce amount of ginger and slice rather than grating). Then reduce heat slightly to medium/medium-low and maintain a simmer for 15 minutes or until it reduces by about one-third.
3. Add tea (loose leaf or bags) and dairy-free milk of choice (we love light canned coconut) and lower heat to low. Cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Then turn off heat and let steep for 5 minutes more (covered) or longer for deeper flavor.
4. Add sweetener of choice to taste (we prefer stevia or maple syrup, but sugar is more traditional). Strain through a fine mesh strainer before serving.
