By Val the Cookie Queen of APJ
I have a fairly tough workout regime twice a week at the moment. There are of course a host of post-workout drinks and shakes to chose from, most of them bordering on the unpleasant, at least taste-wise. I am usually ready to pass out at the end of my program and want something that has a hit and kicks in immediately. Which is why I started to make and take my own post workout drink. Simple as that. It literally brings me back to life, believe me.
There is no correct recipe for chai masala or spiced chai. You can use cloves, star anise and cinnamon but I don’t care for so many spices all at once, and I actively dislike cinnamon in a drink. And in perfume. Yuck.
Cookie Queen´S CHAI – this makes about a liter
Ingredients:
Fresh ginger. About two inches of root, grated
8 Green cardamom pods
20 Black peppercorns
5 Tea bags or loose black tea. (I use bog standard PG Tips bags)
A good 250mls of milk
Sugar to taste
Crush the cardamom pods and black pepper in a pestle and mortar, or whatever you have to hand to do the job.
Grate the ginger.
Put about a liter of cold water into a pan. Chuck in the crushed cardamom and pepper and bring to the boil.
Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, more if you want. It will smell divine, and might make you sneeze.
Throw in the grated ginger root. Keep it simmering for another 10 minutes.
Add the milk.
Bring it to the boil, watching it so that it doesn´t boil over your stovetop, but hopefully you have used a big enough pan!
Throw in the teabags. Let it simmer until you have a good deep tan colour, probably about three minutes.
You will then need to pour it through a decent sized strainer over another saucepan or a bowl and strain the whole lot, pushing down on all the stuff to get every last bit of goodness out.
Sugar to taste. This chai needs to be really sweet, you can decide yourself though.
Sip slowly and enjoy the immediate kick.
Deadlift Bussis
CQ
A Bottled Rose 