chai

My yoga studio here has the best chai I´ve ever tasted. And I´ve consumed a lot of chai in my day - namely gallons of hot, sweet, spicy deliciousness in Kenya - and I think this might be slightly better. That, or it´s just been so long since I tasted that sweet Kenyan nectar that this is my new favorite. Either way, I make sure to arrive early to every class to have a little cup of chai, and I linger after class to have another little cup... or three. (And also to practice my Spanish, but who am I kidding, it´s mostly for the chai).

Anyway, I am so clearly obsessed with the chai that some of my new yogi friends who work at the studio gave me the recipe for it. Huzzah! Now when I return to the frigid arctic that is Minnesota in January, I´ll be able to sip on this and remember all the good times I had in my warm little yoga studio in Buenos Aires.

I´ve provided the recipe below, in my best attempt at translating it from Portuguese (don´t ask). So if any of you are craving really delicious chai, you should try this and let me know how it goes. Maybe I´ll get a bunch of you addicted so when I get back we can sit around in circles sipping chai and practicing our headstands. That would be both fantastic and slightly creepy.

Chai Recipe*:

Ingredients:

1/2 liter of water

1/2 liter of milk
5 sticks (branches?) of cardamom (grind the entire stick/branch - seeds, stem and all - with a mortar and pestle (or something of the sorts) and add it all into the chai)
2 cinnamon sticks (you can break these apart a little bit)
6 heaping spoons of sugar (you can add more or less, depending on how sweet you like your chai)
3 heaping spoons of black tea (or a bunch of tea bags)

1/2 cup grated ginger (from actual ginger root...)

Instructions:
Bring the water to a boil and add the ginger, cardamom and cinnamon. Add the milk and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat, add the tea and let it sit for three minutes. (Do not boil the chai once the tea has been added.) Use a strainer to remove the ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and tea from the chai. Stir in the sugar. Enjoy.

*Note of warning: Remember that I translated this recipe from Portuguese. I do not speak Portuguese. Also, please keep in mind that I´ve never attempted to make this chai myself. Godspeed.