When my daughter was a young toddler and we were trying to introduce cow’s milk to her, she rebelled against it for weeks. Mira was an avid nurser, and cow’s milk was, well, just not up to snuff as far as she was concerned.
One day, as I was walking with her and sipping an iced chai, Mira pointed to the cup and said, “Cha! Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
She grabbed the straw and gunked down half the cup. One taste and she was hooked. We began making it for her at home, slowly weaning her from the full chai to the mostly milk chai to just plain milk. To this day, whether it really includes chai or not, we call her morning milk “chai”.
We still love a genuine full-bodied chai (hot or cold) when it is time for a treat. To add a little more protein, vitamin E and magnesium, we crush a few almonds in a mortar and pestle to put in the bottom of the glass, as my friend Yoana taught me to do. Note that this is very, very popular with two-year-olds, and most likely with little brothers everywhere.
Here are both the dairy and non-dairy versions of our special drink:
Mira’s Masala Chai
*1 star anise
*6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle or the back of a knife
*12 whole cloves
*1 long cinnamon stick (3-inch piece) or 2 shorties
*a quarter-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
*6 black peppercorns
*4 cups water for the dairy version/7 cups water for the non-dairy, version
*2-3 T. Darjeeling tea
*1/4 c. light brown sugar
*1 t. vanilla
*3 cups milk for dairy version/alternate milk to taste for non dairy (almond, soy, rice, oat)
*handful of almonds for each chai drinker
In a medium saucepan, combine the star anise, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves, ginger, peppercorns, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to let boil for 5 minutes. Add the tea, stir, cover, and take off the heat to steep for about 10 minutes.
For the dairy version, add the milk to the pot and bring the mixture just up to a boil. Remove from the heat, stirring.
Strain the mixture, discard the spices and tea leaves. Stir in the brown sugar and vanilla. For the non-dairy version, add milk to taste.
Using a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder or a big plastic sealed bag and a rolling pin, crush the almond to a powder. Place these in the bottom of the glass before pouring the chai on top.
Serve immediately or cool and chill in the fridge to iced chai.
