My relationship with chai began when I was eighteen years old. I’d just moved to Sydney to university, and my college was between the uni and Glebe Point Road. There was a cafe called Badde Manors just along Glebe Point Road – it’s still there – that sold the best chai, way before the insanity of chai lattes: just proper chai tea brewed in a pot with hot milk and honey and fresh ginger. I can still smell it, and see the filtered light on the red booth seats and feel the bubbling of anticipation and euphoria at being able to study medieval history all day, with a nine-floor uni library and the best chai tea imaginable across the road from each other. This recipe is the product of many years of trying to recreate the Badde Manors chai.
Makes 140 g (5 oz).
Ingredients 10
Chai Spice Mix
5 cm pieces fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated, see notes
40 g loose-leaf black tea
17 g green cardamom pods, whole
17 g clove, whole
30 g peppercorns, whole
2 cinnamon sticks, broken up
1 star anise, optional
To Serve
1 cup milk, of your choice
1 heaped tsp Chai Spice Mix
honey, to serve
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Method 5
Method
First, finely chop or grate the and place on a tray or plate and leave to dry out overnight. (This step isn’t totally necessary, except if you live somewhere with high humidity.)
Put all the chai spice mix ingredients (, , , , , , and if using) into a blender or high-powered food processor and pulse briefly until the spices are broken up.
Store in an airtight jar in your pantry for about 6 months.
To make the chai, put the (I love soy chai) into a saucepan on the stove, and add 1 heaped teaspoon of the chai spice and stir well. Heat over a moderate flame – do not boil! – and when it starts to bubble around the edge, take off the heat and let it steep for 5 minutes.
Strain into a cup. Sweeten to taste with a small spoon of honey.
Buena Vista Farm's tips
I use fresh ginger for this and store it, and it’s always been fine. If you are in a warm climate, be careful it doesn’t go mouldy, or substitute powdered ginger to be safe. Alternatively, you could make up the chai and add fresh ginger as you use it.
