Masala Chai Tea

On cold rainy days I find myself craving this delicious chai tea which I learned from a great Indian friend of mine.

All you need is:

• 1/2 tsp Black pepper corns
• 2cm Dried Ginger
• 6 Cloves 
• 1/2 Star Anise
• 2 Mace
• 9 Cardamom pods
• 1/2 tbsp Tea leaves
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Milk (full cream)
• Sugar, to your taste

The Masala
Grind the black pepper corns, dried ginger, cloves, star anise, mace, and cardamom pods to a powder and store in a tightly closed jar in a cool and dark place.

The Tea
To a sauce pan, pour the milk and water. Add 1 table spoon of the masala (made above) and bring to a boil. once it boils, add the tea leaves, stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Add sugar to taste. Strain and serve.

This tea goes very well with chocolate cookies, ginger cookies, brownies, chocolate cakes....well, basically anything you like.