Old Jones, #1

I was immediately hooked the first time that I tasted chai.

I studied several recipes before I made it. I had quite the production line going and even bought fennel and black peppercorns to add to the mix. It was all worth it though. My friend even pointed me in the right direction as far as tea. In fact, I still have some Red Label tea which I'm told lasts forever. Hope so.

Masala Chai Tea

Makes 2 small cups

1 1/2 cups water
1 stick of cinnamon
8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
2/3 c milk (or half and half)
6 tsps sugar (or to taste)
3 tsps unperfumed loose black tea
1/4 ginger root, thinly slice

Put 1 1/2 cups water in saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardamon, cloves and ginger and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a boil then simmer. Throw in the tea leaves, cover and turn off the heat. After two minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.

From Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking