Masala Chai: the drink of health ( english version)

Masala Chai

When I woke up my first morning in India, I was looking forward to having an authentic chai at breakfast. I was surprised and disappointed that the chai I ordered in the hotel breakfast room was just a plain black tea and didn’t have the warming spices I expected. The waiter explained to me that “chai” simply means “tea” and that it’s “masala chai” that has all those warming spices I expected. A lesson well learned indeed!

My first encounter with Masala Chai was through a prescription I received during an Ayurvedic consultation that proved to be very effective for my digestive issues as well as my Reynolds condition ( a genetic condition that causes poor blood circulation to extremities ) . I had the occasion to learn more about Ayurveda and its recipes during my yoga teacher training. Ayurveda is the parallel science of yoga. It is an ancestral holistic science with preventive and therapeutic remedies that take into account a person’s traits and constitutions, or doshas. Without getting too in depth about Ayurveda, a complex and fascinating subject, nutrition plays an important role. You may not realize that many of the spices in your kitchen cupboard are rich with natural solutions for mental and physical balance.

The spices in Masala Chai have a long list of health and therapeutic benefits:

- Anti-inflammatory properties,

- Help eliminate digestive problems,

- Stimulate the immune system,

- Help reduce feelings of depression,

- Regulate the level of blood sugar ( especially important for type II diabetes),

- Excellent antioxidant,

- Ease symptoms of hormonal imbalance due to PMS, peri menopause and menopause,

- Excellent for the cardiovascular system.

When prepared with intention and love, these benefits are reinforced even more.

Masala Chai Recipe:

Ingredients:

-       4 cloves

-       ½ stick of cinnamon ( broken lengthwise)

-       1 tsp of freshly grated ginger ( in powder form it can be irritating to the stomach)

-       4 cardamome pods ( you can take the pods off ahead of time, if you wish)

-       1-2 tsp of black tea  (your free to use green tea, or roiboos, if you are avoiding theine)

-       Star anis ( optional )

-       Fennel seeds ( optional )

-       Milk ( cow’s, almond, oat, or any other milk of your choice)

-       Honey, raw sugar, agave syrup or other natural unrefined sugar. In India they use jaggery which contains many minerals.

-       Fresh mint ( optional)

Method:

1)    Put all the spices in a pan with about 1l of water and bring to a boil.  

2)    When it comes to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

3)    Near the end add the tea of your choice.

4)    While the tea infuses a bit, start heating up your milk just to a simmer, not letting it boil to avoid scalding.

5)    Strain the tea through a filter as you pour it into a tea pot or other container.

6)    Pour the milk into the liquid of tea and spices.

7)    Add sweetener to taste.

8)    You can add mint ( optional) at the end, if you want it slightly more refreshing.

 Share and drink with those you love and enjoy!

Namasté