Digging in my garden
Feeding the hungry horde
TURMERIC CHAI FOR ONE
July 07, 2016
WHAT is better, on a winter's day, than a sweet smelling, good-for-you hot drink? Turmeric chai is made from ingredients you're likely to have in your spice cupboard or use in your regular cooking. I grow my own turmeric and if you have a veggie patch, it's an easy tuber to grow meaning you'll have a plentiful harvest for a full winter of chai.
My harvest from a handful of tubers was pulled up last week. You harvest turmeric when the leaves have died down in late August, or early winter. Through summer it's a lush looking plant with tropical-looking flowers. Win win.
The recipe below makes a brew for one, with a little left over to retop an empty mug. Add more ingredients and adjust to taste to brew up a larger quantity.
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon fresh grated giner
1 teaspoon fresh grated turmeric, or half a teaspoon of ground dry turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
half teaspoon of clove
half teaspoon of nutmeg
half teaspoon of ground black peppercorns
a teeny pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1-2 cups of water
honey or sugar to sweeten. I choose honey because I think it smells and tastes nicer
milk
WHAT TO DO
Put all the ingredients, except for the honey into a small stove top saucepan or pot. I'd love to try this in a billy over a campfire. I think it would be amazing.
Simmer gently until you can smell it and it has coloured the water. If you like your tea strong, you'll brew it longer. I do. If you like a weak tea, or herbal teas, you may like it brewed for less time.
Strain your brew through a tea strainer and into a warmed mug. Add your choice of milk: soy, almond, skim, full cream.
Enjoy.
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