Elachi Chai – Indian Cardamom Tea (VRC- Cardamom)

The theme for this week’s VRC started by Alysha of The Savoury Notebook is ‘Cardamom’,the queen of all spices.The first thought that came to my mind was ‘Elachi Chai’ or ‘Cardamom Tea’ ,a milky sweet flavoured Indian chai tea which enriches and enlightens my day.Chai-a-holic that I am,my day is incomplete without a freshly brewed cup of warm chai and as I relish every sip of this sweet flavoured chai , a fresh feeling of delicious warmth engulfes me…a truly divine experience.Cardamom which has a lovely parrot-green shade has seeds that are sweet and fragrant and are used to enhance both sweet and spicy Indian foods like sweet rice pudding,pulao or pilaf and of course not to forget that it is one of the main elements in preparing ‘garam masala’ ,an important ingredient in preparing meat dishes and vegetarian curries as well.

The health promoting benefits cardamom has to offer is immense and is known to ease stomach cramps,stimulate digestion,reduces gas and is a great breath freshner.The antioxidant activity produced in tea is said to be greater than 20 vegetables and fruits and research has shown that cardamom also has antioxidant properties and can restore healthy levels of glutathione.Infact this post would make an apt entry for Sweetnicks ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday too..:)

Elachi chai has a thick and golden brown hue with an aromatic sweet taste with no trace of bitterness.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
2/3rd cup milk (you can use skimmed milk)
2-3 pods green cardamom seeds
2 tsps sugar
2 heaped tsps loose tea leaves(non-scented)

Bring water to boil in a stainless steel or non-stick pot. Add cardamom and tea leaves and simmer for a minute. Add milk, sugar and boil till desired colour is obtained.You will know when a lovely aroma is released.Dont boil too much as the tea will impart a bitter flavor.Cover and let it sit for a minute.Strain into cups while piping hot.This serves 2 cups of fragrant cardamom tea.

Note:The amount of milk and water can vary according to personal preference. If you want it more milky, increase the quantity of milk and lessen the water and if you want it less milky reduce milk and increase the quantity of water.

Serve with bajjis ,bhel, pakodas (fritters) or pastries
My entry for this week’s VRC-Cardamom and also ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday