Description
This herbal tulsi chai makes for a delightfully cozy and caffeine-free cup of spiced tea that can be enjoyed hot or iced! Whole spices, fresh ginger root, and orange peel are simmered to extract their flavor then steeped with dried tulsi basil. Once strained, the resulting aromatic concentrate can be mixed with equal parts milk for a delicious cup of caffeine-free chai.
Ingredients
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole green cardamom pods
- 3 whole star anise
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh ginger root, finely chopped
- 1 small orange, peel removed in strips
- 1/2 cup dried tulsi basil, lightly packed
- 5 cups water
- milk, as needed
- sweetener, as needed
Instructions
Crush the cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and cloves until they begin to break down into smaller pieces. You can do this with a mortar and pestle or by placing the whole spices in a kitchen towel and hitting them with a rolling pin or other heavy implement.
Add your crushed spices to a large stock pot along with the ginger root and orange peel. Cover with 5 cups of water. Heat the spices and water over medium high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes then remove the pot from heat. Stir in the dried tulsi, then cover the pot and allow the tea to steep for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes strain the tea. You can compost the spices if you like. What you have is concentrated so in order to enjoy it, you’ll mix the tea with equal parts of the milk of your choice. In other words, if you pour 1/2 cup of chai into your mug, you’ll mix 1/2 cup of milk with it!
You can enjoy your chai iced or hot and add your favorite sweetener as needed. Keep the leftover concentrate in a sealed bottle or container in the fridge and use it within 1-2 weeks.
Notes
- Use 1/4 cup fresh ginger for a less gingery flavor, or 1/2 cup for a stronger ginger flavor.
- The flavor will be the strongest within the first week, but it will still be delicious if used within 2 weeks.
- For the orange, use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of the peel.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: drink