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Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Dot’s Thot: “Tea Party: Benefits all guests” — Dr. Maoshing Ni, referring to the health benefits of polyphenols (powerful anti-oxidants that work to prevent diabetes and cancer).

A flavorful alternative to morning coffee or a great centerpiece for tea time in the afternoon is spicy tea, the East Indian way. the addition of spices add to the tea vitamins and nutritional value, as well as to the flavor. This is a recipe that I found in a cookbook by Myra Goodman, Food to Live By published by Workman Publishing Company, Inc. It is a fuision approach in that the spices are traditional (whole), but uses the convenience of teabags. In addition, it uses the zest of orange peel, while I would prefer to use lemongrass leaves (but any citrus based flavor would do, even lemon or lime zest).

You might enjoy the cookbook, which contains many appealing fresh produce pictures and recipes. The recipes appear to be easy to follow and the photographs make the food look appetizing; so I added the book to my library. Where you see “Dot’s Jot:”, I have added my own notes to amplify the information.

Ingredients for Homemade Chai (I like lemon better than orange peel)

Homemade Chai (from Food to Live By)

– Makes about 3 cups

• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick (approx. 3 inches long)
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole cardamom pods – [Dot's Jot: green cardamom, not the black] or 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, unpeeled and thinly sliced — [Dot's Jot: about the size of your thumb]
• Zest of one orange, removed in wide strips — [Dot's Jot: in another part of the book, it is recommended that you just peel large strips using a vegetable peeler; no need for a special zesting tool]
• 4 bags of black tea, such as Darjeeling, orange pekoe, or English Breakfast — [Dot's Jot: Just personal taste; I am partial to Darjeeling.]
• 1 cup whole milk — [Dot's Jot: You can use reduced fat or non-fat or other milk substitute, if you prefer.]
• 1/3 cup sugar — [Dot's Jot: use less, if you prefer. I like less refined sugar; or honey, or a small amount of stevia. If using substitutes, sweeten just before drinking -- everyone can use their sweetener of choice and amount that suits them.]

1. Place the peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, and ginger slices in a heavy-duty, resealable plastic bag and crush them lightly with a rolling pin or mallet (or crush them in a mortar with a pestle). — [Dot's Jot: if you are using the ground cardamom, then add that in step 2.]
2. Transfer the crushed spices to a medium size saucepan. Add the orange zest and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the head to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. — [Dot's Jot: remember to add the ground cardomom when doing this step, if you are not using the green cardamom pods.]
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the tea bags. Allow the mixture to steep for 5 minutes, then discard the tea bags.
4. Add the milk and sugar to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. [Dot's Jot: watch the pot carefully and don't let it boil over; it can be messy; I'm guilty.]
5. Strain the chai and discard the solids. Serve hot. If not serving immediately, allow the chai to cool to room temperature. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 7 days. Reheat it before serving. — [Dot's Jot: Some people like to be even more western and pour this over ice for iced chai. Feel free to do so, if you like -- refreshing either way.]

We hope you enjoy this chai recipe. Don’t forget, you can vary the amounts of the spices and try other “citrus notes” in the recipe. I have to admit that after you drink tea for a while, some of the charm does come from collecting tea sets for various occasions. I have several porcelain sets, but hope someday to own a real cast iron tea pot. They are heavy and decorative in a very asian way. So far, I have only bought miniature cast iron tea pots.

Aloha, Dot

Related Posts:

Awesome Book — Herbs & Spices: The Cook’s Reference

Japanese Organic Green Tea

Three Cups of Tea — Kiriyama Prize Book

Understanding Different Types of Tea and Tisane

History, Present and Benefits of Indian Spices

Fresh Ginger Tea and Honey Recipe for the Sniffles

Get Black Tea Here

Source for Whole Dried Spices

Dot’s Thot:

Saffron Honey Milk Nightcap

“It takes the stigmas from 5,200 autumn-blooming, purple flowered crocus to produce one ounce of saffron.” –  from the book jacket of The Essential Saffron Companion by John Humphries.

An amazing amount of aroma, flavor and color comes from the tiny stigma of the crocus sativus or saffron flower.  Saffron recipes can seem intimidating.  One of the very simplest recipes I know is one that I make on occasion as a very special nightcap before bed.

I did not realize it, but saffron apparently  might have other properties that contribute to the general feeling of well-being and comfort that I feel when drinking this. [see article on Depression -- Saffron -A Spicy Solution.]

Here is the very simple spice recipe:

Plain Milk and Saffron Honey Milk

Saffron Honey Milk Nightcap

• 1 cup of milk heated  — watch carefully and do not let milk boil over
• 6-8 saffron threads — adjust to your taste — I like mine mild
• honey to taste — I like it sweetened just a tad — about 1/2 tspn raw honey

Stir all together; let saffron and honey blend for a few minutes (flavor develops)

Get some saffron and enjoy the aroma and flavor.

Notes:  for the lactose-intolerant, try soy or rice milk.

Online Source for Saffron, including Spanish Saffron

Dot’s Thot:  Fresh Ginger Tea and Honey Recipe for the Sniffles

Took ginger tea and honey last night for the sniffles — all gone this morning.  Here is how I made the tea:    1] Take a knob of ginger about as long as the first joint on your thumb.  2]  Peel and grate the ginger.  3]  You can put it in a tea ball or place in a strainer that fits on top of your mug (use a sturdy mug).  4]  Make piping hot water  5]  Pour the hot water over the ginger.  6]  Let steep a few minutes.  7]  If using a strainer, press ginger with spoon to extract more essense. (This is my preferred approach).  8]  Discard ginger.  9] Add honey to taste (I like the raw, unfiltered honey from Kern County, CA which we buy along the way when we drive from LA to SF).  10]  Sip while hot and steamy — relax.

If you like, you can use the ginger with some green tea.  I make mine just with ginger, honey, and hot water, but you can see what you prefer.

Aloha —-  Dot