I have a feeling that I’m almost late when sharing this warming drink with you, as it feels like spring is already on its way, but, honestly, this chai is great in any season.
I personally find this spicy fragrant drink good in the morning, especially if I didn’t have a good sleep the night before. Being a mother of two I am blessed with an opportunity of being woken up at 3 a.m. and asked for a hug. So, in the mornings like these, when you a not really sure whether you are awake or still sleeping, you need a really nice boost. Well, obviously, you don’t want to prepare this chai as soon as you wake up, since you don’t feel like doing anything in the morning. That is why I brew approximately 1L of chai in advance and use it for the next couple of days. In my point of view, it works way better than coffee does, without dehydrating your body as much. I use black tea which, of course, still contents caffeine, so if you want to go completely caffeine-free, you can use rooibos instead.
I prefer quite a strong aroma and taste and use a generous amount of spices – if it is not to your liking you can simply reduce the proportions. I use a homemade almond milk, which I make on a daily basis and also have a fresh bottle in my fridge every day. Almond milk is ridiculously easy to make and cannot be compared with a store-bought substance full of hidden sugars and other unpleasant stuff. Ages ago I promised my friend to post a recipe of homemade almond milk, so that he doesn’t need to drink from a carton box any more. Tadaaa!! You will find the step by step recipe below.
For Chai
To make approximately 1L you will need:
- 1.5 tbsp cardamom pods
- 1 big cinnamon stick
- 1.5 tbsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp cloves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scarped out
- 2 big slices of fresh ginger
- 4 cups of bottle or filtered water
- 3-4 tbsp black tea
- Almond milk, coconut butter and honey to serve
Method:
Put cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, cloves and peppercorns in a small saucepan and place it over the high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the spices start to release their aroma. Be careful not to burn them.
Place toasted spices in a mortar and crush them with a pestle.
Put the spices back to the saucepan and add vanilla (beans and seeds), ginger and water.
Put the spices back to the saucepan and add vanilla (beans and seeds), ginger and water.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, add tea and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Strain to a clean jar.
To serve bring chai back to a simmer and add the almond milk. Stir well and heat the milk thoroughly. The ratio is, obviously, to your likings, I like to add ½ cups of milk to 1 up of chai. Add ½ tsp of coconut butter per 1 cup of drink for some extra creaminess, stir well and sweeten with honey.
If I have dried white mulberries on a hand, I use them as a sweetener, adding at the same time with the milk.
Few words about homemade almond milk. It is simply better than the one you can get from shop that you feel so much healthier, so fresh. If you are lucky enough to find really good almonds, your homemade milk will smell amazing.
It is not necessary, of course, to buy almonds with skin on. If you are short on time just buy the peeled ones. I give a basic recipe as I prefer to keep it plain since I use it for many purposes. For more flavour try adding:
- vanilla seeds
- pitted dates
- cocoa powder
- cinnamon
to the milk. Very important that you add a good pinch of SALT when making the milk, as it brings out the flavour.
For almond milk
To make approximately 1L you will need:
- 150 raw almonds
- 1L filtred or bottled water + more to soak
- a good pinch of salt
Method:
Weight the almonds. If you are using the peeled ones, go straight to the step 5 (soaking).
Boil enough water to cover the nuts and as soon as it comes to rolling boil pour it over the almonds and leave for 1 minute. For this step you use tap water.
Drain almonds and rinse them well.
Drain again. Now the peel will remove easily. Just slip it off the nut.
Place the peeled almonds in a big bowl and pour the water over. The water should cover the nuts well. Leave to soak overnight. You can, of course, use tap water, too, but if you can it is better to use filtered or bottled one. The taste of chlorine of water here in Malta is very strong, I prefer not to use it for cooking.
Next day rinse and drain almonds
Place it in a blender with 1l of bottled or filtered water. Add a pinch of salt.
Whizz on a high speed for 2 minutes.
Now strain it using a nut bag or a few layers of muslin cloth.
Squeeze as much liquid as you can. 
Now you have almond milk and almond pulp. Do not throw away the pulp because you will need it to make a crackers! No waste.
Voila! 
For almond pulp crackers
to make 8-10 thin crackers:
- almond pulp (you will have around 1 cup)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp milled linen seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (not roasted)
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds (hulled)
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- salt to taste
Place the pulp on two layers of paper towel and leave in the fridge overnight to remove the moisture. Next day mix all ingredients very well in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place one sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and transfer the mixture on it. Flatten it a using spatula, then place another sheet of baking paper on top of the mixture and gently roll it with a rolling pin to get an even surface. Remove the upper sheet and adjust the sides, they should be very thin to avoid burning and a bitter taste.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, turn over and bake for 10 minutes more. Enjoy!
