One of my favorite warm drinks is Indian style chai, but not being a fan of American dairy products (due to BGH contamination) I have longed for a good alternative to condensed milk's creamy goodness. Soy milk does not work well with tea due to its chalky consistency, but recently I discovered that almond milk makes for a perfect, super creamy alternative.
1. First I measure out a cup full of almond milk and place this into a small pot, pan, or kettle. To this I add one bag of black tea.
2. Next I grind the following in a mortar coarsely and add it as well: 2 whole cloves, 1 small stick cinnamon , and 2 cardamom pods.
3. Finally I bring the mixture to a boil, watching it continuously so that it does not boil over. I then pour the chai through a strainer.
If you like your chai really sweet (like I sometimes do), I add a spoonful of honey. This makes for a guitless sweet treat any time of the day.
Comments
Ooh, good idea! I'm not much for dairy myself because my body reacts to it badly, and so I've always used soy, but this looks like a better alternative!
Posted by: Ellie | October 14, 2006 04:09 PM
Almond milk chai looks good. I have never had it before and would like to try.
I am also big fan of almond(badam) milk. We prepare a drink called badam milk - where soaked almonds are ground with plenty of water and milk is extracted, mixed with sugar, chilled and served with saffron.
Posted by: Indira | October 23, 2006 09:47 PM
Ellie: I think you'll like almond milk much better!
Indira: badam milk sounds so delicious, I'll have to try it. You know, I was also excited to learn that Greeks like to make a milk made from almonds. So it looks like almond milk is more popular than I imagined.
Posted by: Evil Jonny | October 24, 2006 05:37 AM