Chai Makes 6 cups • 5 cups water • ¼ cup roughly chopped unpeeled fresh ginger • Three 4-inch cinnamon sticks • 3 whole cloves • 4 cardamom pods • 3 black peppercorns • One 1-inch circular slice unpeeled orange • 4 black tea bags, regular or decaffeinated • ¼ to ½ cup honey, to taste • 1½ to 2 cups milk (low-fat or whole), to taste 1. Combine the water, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, and orange slice in a medium pot. Partially cover the pot, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. 2. Take the pot off the heat, add the tea bags, cover, and steep for 5 minutes. Put a strainer over the bowl and strain the liquid. Add the honey to taste. To store the chai in the refrigerator or freezer without milk, do so now. Otherwise, return the tea to the pot, add the milk, and reheat. Storage: Fridge • covered container, with milk, 5 days; without milk, 2 weeks Freezer • freezer-safe container, without milk, 6 months (thaw in refrigerator and reheat with milk on the stovetop) Excerpted from The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
