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NEXT MAIN MENU PREVIOUS Chai Concentrate Did you know chai means “tea,” thus asking for a chai tea is redundant? Well, now you do. We love chai in our house but so often, it is a sugar bomb. I love this concentrate for the complex spice flavors and the gentle sweetness, though if you like a sweeter chai, just add more of your sweetener. Combine this concentrate with your favorite non-dairy milk, hot or over ice, and you won’t regret. Just don’t forget to take a big inhalation of all those wonderful aromatics. Mmm… Speaking of great food, check out our new e-book, Fun, Festive and Fabulous Vegan Holidays for Everyone: Recipes, Puns, Historic Lore, Tips and More to Help You Celebrate Without Compromise, and I think you will LOVE it. We cover ten celebrations along with more than 70 previously published and brand-spanking-new recipes – all vegan and gluten-free – that are designed for everyone from beginning to more experienced cooks to recreate in their own kitchens with ingredients that are easy to access, helping you to live it up, vegan style. Whether you’re vegan or omnivorous, whether you celebrate certain holidays or not, you will find dozens of really fun, delicious and damn impressive recipes to enjoy year-round, along with puns, historic lore, advice and so much more to keep you interested. So much value-added! Vegan Holidays for Everyone is for everyone who likes to enjoy great food without compromise.   Chai Concentrate 10 green cardamom pods 2 cinnamon sticks 2 star anise 6 whole cloves 10 black peppercorns 2-inch minced fresh ginger 1 nutmeg 10 bags black or rooisbos tea 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 2 vanilla beans, split down the middle) 6 cups water ¼ cup vegan sweetener (I used maple syrup) or more if you like it sweeter Crush together the cardamom, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, peppercorns, ginger and nutmeg in a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or food processor. It doesn’t need to be finely crushed, just broken up enough to release the natural oils and flavors in the tea. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. In a large tea ball, combine the above spices as well as the vanilla if using the whole pods. (If using extract, do not add yet.) If you don’t have a tea ball, no worries: just add to the boiling water loose. Add the tea bags to the tea ball with the spices, add to the boiling water, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the tea infuser ball or strain out the solids, add your sweetener and vanilla extract, whisk to combine, allow to cool, and store in a airtight jar for up to a week. Add your favorite non-dairy milk for hot or iced chai. © 2013-2018, Vegan Street