Masala Chai Tea
When I moved to New York City almost fifteen years ago, a friend took me on a downtown tour of inexpensive places to fill my belly. One stop was the Lahore Deli, a Pakistani joint on the edge of Soho where for four dollars I could have a little box of rice, dal and veggies plus a hot cup of sweet milky chai. The chai’s share of that bill was one dollar; these days it’s a buck fifty.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 to 4 whole green cardamom pods, smashed
- 1 to 2 thin slices fresh ginger
- 1 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 piece star anise
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons loose black tea leaves
- Sweetener, to taste (I prefer honey or maple syrup)
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon stick and star anise. Bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is fragrant. Add the milk and tea leaves, and simmer for another minute then turn off the heat and let steep for 2 minutes. Pour into a cup through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the leaves and spices. Add sweetener, to taste.