Chai Tea

I've only had chai a few times before, and the only thing I remember about it some kind of sweet taste. Having heard raving reviews from my parents about it, I decided I needed to change that.

We had all the ingredients (well, except whole cloves...but ground cloves ended up working fine), so I decided to make it, which was fun and different because I had to grind up all of the ingredients.

The chai made the house smell wonderful. In fact, I think I need a chai scented candle so I can smell chai all the time :)

I did have a bit of a problem with the condensed milk though. Apparently it is as slow as molasses (at least that's how it felt!) and having only a small hole in the can did not help. At all. My arm got tired of holding it, even after I punched four additional holes in the top!

The day was gray and dreary, making the chai even more satisfying. I now understand completely why everyone likes it so much!

Chai Tea

Serves 10

Ingredients:

10 cups water

2 tsp. bay leaves

2 tsp. fennel

5 whole cloves or 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

3 white cardamom pods

2 cinnamon sticks

5 tea bags (Lipton)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Boil 10 cups of water.

2. Crush up bay leaves, fennel cloves, white cardamom, and cinnamon sticks using a mortar and pestle. Add to water. Boil for 5 minutes.

3. Turn down heat, add tea bags, and steep until black, about 10 minutes.

4. Add sweetened condensed milk.

5. Remove tea bags when chai turns a creamy golden-brown color.

6. Strain and enjoy hot or cold!

Recipe from: Dr. & Mrs. Ketchum