Earthbound Farm’s Homemade Chai

Swoon. That’s right. If I had to use one word, and one word only, for this post, I’d choose swoon. This chai is that good. I’ve always liked the flavors used in chai, but I usually find it too sweet, too spicy, or, worst of all, too milky. This recipe, however, is spot on. I did make two simple changes—I used soy milk instead of whole milk, and I steeped my tea bags longer, as I like that richer, borderline bitter, flavor of the tea. Other than that, I followed Earthbound’s recipe exactly, and WOW. I was blown away by the results. Instead of throwing out more adjectives to describe this recipe, however, let’s talk chai instead.

Chai is simply the generic word for tea in many languages, including Hindi. In India, what we in the United States call chai, is referred to as masala chai. In any event, it is a spiced milk tea that is known for its warming effect. As chai contains ginger, it is also a natural digestive aid. While the spices in chai vary, chai should always contains black tea, milk, sweetener, cardamom, ginger, and black peppercorns. Cinnamon is used in almost all recipes as well, as are cloves. Other spices and flavors that are used include nutmeg, star anise, saffron, vanilla, and chocolate, though vanilla and chocolate especially are untraditional. There is a green tea version of chai that I find interesting, but no little about.

In Earthbound Farm’s cookbook, Food to Live By, the authors use a combination of whole black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole cardamom pods, fresh ginger, and orange zest, along with the black tea, milk, and sugar, in their recipe. I like the orange zest touch. It seems to brighten the flavors.

I won’t reprint the recipe here, as I believe in copyright protection, even if recipe ingredients are fair use. Please purchase the cookbook. It has many other delicious recipes in addition to Homemade Chai. You won’t be disappointed. Click here to visit Earthbound’s site and order. And if you’re in the Carmel, California area, take advantage of their cooking demonstration, luncheon, and signing on March 29th. Details are on the site.