Brews N News

How to make Chai from scratch

Why not try and make chai from scratch? You can vary the following according to taste.

1/3 cup filtered water
2/3 cup milk (substitute with rice or almond milk, if desired)
1 teaspoon of tea for each cup measure (plus a bit extra)
freshly chopped ginger
cardamom pods
a little piece clove (optional)
enough sugar to make it sweet

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. When boiling turn up the heat and swirl it around until it reaches the desired strength and the spices provide a kick. Strain it into small glasses.

Chai Pumpkin Bread with Chai Cream Cheese Icing

Step 1:  Organic Planet Chai Tea Concentrate
1 1/2 Cups Water
8 Tsp, rounded OP Chai Tea
6 Tsp, Sugar or Honey
1 Tsp Vanilla

Bring water to a boil, add tea.  Lower heat, and let simmer for 10 minutes.   Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes.  Pour tea/water mixture through a strainer.  Add sugar or honey and vanilla.

Step 2:  While you are waiting for the tea to steep...
1 Cup canned pumpkin
1/2 Cup Vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup OP Chai Tea Concentrate
2/3 Cups Currants or Raisins
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed

In a large bowl, combine sugars, pumpkin, oil and eggs.  Beat until well blended.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, soda, and salt.  Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Stir in Organic Planet Chai Tea Concentrate and currants and blend together.  Pour into a standard sized greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350o for 40 minutes or until done.  Place loaf on a rack to cool.  Cool completely before icing.

Step 3: Icing

3 oz Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp Butter, softened
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tsp OP Chai Tea Concentrate

To prepare icing, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth.  Beat in powdered sugar.  Gradually add Organic Planet Chai Tea Concentrate until icing is smooth.  Spread icing on cooled bread. 

Hot Flower Garden Dream Cider

For your Winter Hearth:

Have you ever wondered why we crave exotic spices such as ginger and cinnamon when the weather turns cold? The foods of winter, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, ginger bread all rely heavily on these familiar spices.

And no wonder, there's nothing better for warming up cold winter bones than ginger. Have you ever chewed on a piece of raw ginger and felt it's heat? Cinnamon has similar warming qualities as ginger without the bite.

The following is a recipe which features one of our teas, to warm your family and friends in the winter cold.  Our Flower Garden Dream is a colorful blend of hibiscus, rosehips, flower petals, orange and cinnamon.  Visit our Webstore for a special discount on our Flower Garden Dream Herbal Tissane. This discount will be available only until November 21, 2005.

Hot Flower Garden Dream Cider

• 4 Cups Water
• 4 Cups Apple Cider
• 8 rounded tsp Flower Garden Dream
• 1 Orange sliced thin

Bring water and cider to a boil.  Add Flower Garden Dream and lower heat.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Turn off and let steep for 10 minutes.  Filter into cups, add orange slice.  Makes 8 cups.

Chai Tea

Chai Tea
Chai is actually the term for tea, Chai Tea refers to Indian Spiced tea, more accuratly Masala Chai; masala is the Hindi word for spice and chai means tea.
In China the caracter for tea in the  Mandarin dialect is pronounced:"chá" .

So lage parts of the world refer to waht we call tea as Chai. But the basis of a Chai Tea or Indian Tea as we use here in the west and India is the adding of spice and or herbs to the tea and thus making a diffrent brew altogether.
One belive that Masala Chai was invented somewhere in the 19th century in India after the British began cultivating tea in India, to compensate for the inability to produce enough tea .
In India there is almost one Masala Chai recipe to each family, there is no right or correct chai tea.

There are however certain basic involved to make a Masala Chai:

1. Tea, black of any kind you like
2. Sweetener, white sugar is mostly used, although honey and molasses are frequent too.
3. Milk, or other such creamers.
4. Spice, most commonly used are cardemom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and peppercorn.

Te Chai can be made a wast array of ways but a typical one, is to add the spice and sweeteners and boil for a few minutes add the tea and milk, bring to a boil and steep for a few minutes before serving.

Green Cardemom Chai
Serves 2

1. 2 1/4 cups water
2. 2 cardamom pod, whole, split
3. 3/4 cup milk
4. 6 teaspoons sugar
5. 2 teaspoon Lemon Ginger Green tea

Bring water and milk to almost a boil. Add cardamom and steep 3 minutes, uncovered. Add tea. Stir lightly. Steep 2 minutes more, uncovered. Strain and enjoy.

Green Tea Poached Pears with Pistachio Cream Sauce

Green Tea Poached Asian Pears
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes, plus chilling time
Makes 4 servings

This refreshing dessert, edged with a hint of mint, works year round and provides a touch of luxury to a simple menu. Its complex taste belies its simple method of preparation.

• 4 unblemished Asian pears
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 cups freshly brewed green tea (e.g. Dragonwell)
• 1 2-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and sliced into thin coins
• Peel of half a lemon
• 1 large sprig of fresh mint Garnish: fresh mint leaves, if desired

1. Peel the pears and core with a corer or a small paring knife, being sure to remove the tart center core area of each. Place the sugar, green tea, gingerroot, lemon peel and mint in a medium size saucepan large enough to hold the four pears in a single layer.
2. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to just under a boil, or until the sugar is fully dissolved. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the peeled and cored pears. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. The pears will remain firm. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, covered.

Meanwhile, make the Pistachio Cream Sauce.
Pistachio Cream Sauce:

• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, well drained
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup shelled, skinned, coarsely chopped natural pistachio nuts

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk and maple syrup. Add nuts and store mixture in refrigerator until your guests are ready to eat.
2. Assembly: Remove pears from poaching liquid, drain well and place one each in four chilled goblets. Mask with the sauce and serve immediately, garnished with fresh mint leaves, if desired