Its starting to get really cold outside. I can start to feel the smell of winter. I´ve just walked in from a hard day at the office so I´ve decided to treat myself with some home-made Masala Chai tea while I do some research for a show I´m working on for the network.

Masala Chai is a traditional drink from India and Pakistan that in the past decade has become very popular in great part of the world. In most of the western world, Masala Chai is usually called just Chai, although the true translation for Chai is simplyTea. Masala Chai (translation: speiced tea) is a sweet and spicy infusion typically sold by street vendors called Chai Walas (it is one of the most common professions on the streets of India).

Masala Chai is traditionally made with Assam Tea Leaves (which I´m lucky enough to have bought at the Spice Market in Delhi when I traveled with my family last year), although it can also be made with Darjleeing Tea leaves. The mix of spices is typically composed of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves, although each household makes their own blend and might add other flavors to the mix. The tea and spices are brewed in a blend of milk and water, and a true masala chai is made from a mixture of buffalo and cow milk that is milked that same day, which makes it hard to replicate the real thing.

Chai is also a healthy way to incorporate the great properties of spices.Ginger is a great stimulant. It induces temporary improvements in mental and physical functions. It is also a carminative which means it prevents formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract and facilitates the expulsion of said gas, thereby combating flatulence. Cardamom, is also a member of the ginger family. It is used to treat infections in teeth and gums, to prevent and treat throat troubles, congestion of the lungs, inflammation of eyelids and also digestive disorders. It also is used to break up kidney stones and gall stones.
Cinnamon and clove can be added at winter time. These have a heating property and can induce digestive unease if consumed in hot climate.

Since I´m making Chai, this might be the perfect opportunity to present Chai... she is less than 80 days old, and has been with me for almost a month. She´s already chewing on everything and waking me up in the middle of the night because she´s hungry; but she also crawls into bed with me and purrs like a little engine while she licks my face so how can I get mad at her ? She´s just too cute ! She´s also true to her name, she's warm, sweet, and spicy !


Recipe: Masala Chai
Ingredients:
-5 cups water
-3 cups milk-1/4 cup black tea leaves;
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 cup honey
-4 pieces cinnamon bark
-1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
-7 whole cloves
-1 tsp ginger

The method of preparing masala chai is really simple, you just need to to actively simmer or boil the mixture of milk and water with loose leaf tea,honey , and whole spice. The more you leave it, the stronger and thicker the tea becomes.