Drink: Spiced Milk Tea (Masala Chai)

Recipe by From Gourmet Todaycookbook Enjoyed by millions in India, masala chai, a spiced, sweetened black tea mixed with milk, is now popular around the world. It is sold all over India by chai wallahs, or tea vendors, who pour the tea from big kettles i

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health and fertility benefits of Spiced Milk Tea (Masala Chai)

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

10 green cardamom pods, cracked, seeds removed, and pods discarded, or 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds or ground cardamom
N/A or 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds or ground cardamom
1 (1 1/2-inch) piece cinnamon stick
4 peppercorns (preferably white)
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 cups whole milk
3 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups water
5 teaspoons loose orange pekoe tea or other black tea
Equipment: a mortar and pestle or an electric coffee/spice grinder

Instructions

Grind together cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and fennel seeds with mortar and pestle or coffee/spice grinder.
Bring milk just to a simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir or whisk in brown sugar, ground spice mixture, ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes to infuse flavors.
Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan, add tea, and boil 1 minute.
Pour tea through a fine-mesh sieve into hot milk mixture (discard tea leaves) and cook over low heat 1 minute. Stir before serving.

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