Newest additions to my library!!!

I almost went gaga at the Border's 11th Anniversary sale - 20% off virtually storewide. Basically an invitation for MAD shopping spree, almost. But luckily I kept my purchases to a modest two books:Vietnamese cooking made easy and Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking. Ultimately, I reasoned that after buying these babies, it was imperative that I make full use of them and so, better to stick to 2 so that I can pay them my fullest attention.

But first, back to my latest library find Feast Bazaar! And I was so happy to find a recipe for Masala Tea (Chai) in it! A few years back, I made a trip down to india, and I fell in love with their masala tea there. It was so incredibe! They handed you these tiny metal shot glasses of Spicy Masala Tea which was Robust without being too Strong and Sweet without being Saccharine. I suppose having fresh milk plays a BIG factor in this one -given that cows are revered by the Hindu religion in india, they are treated fairly good which makes for tasty milk.

I know that there are instant chai mixes available in the market. But its so much more fun to make your own! Personally, I think it will take me a few more tries before I get my masala tea right. Partly because I need more practise in order to master the Art of dry roasting spices without burning them and releasing their flavours to their FULLEST potential.

Spice Mix for Chai

1. 1 1/4 cinammon sticks
2. 6 cloves
3. 4 black peppercorns
4. 6 green cardamon pods
5. 1 teaspoon fennel(anise) seeds
6. 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder

• Dry roast items 1-5 till fragrant and remove from heat.
• Add in ground ginger and grind. AND Voila! Your very own Masala Chai Mix.
• TO drink: Simply heat up a cup milk - be careful not to burn it, add a teaspoon or two of the mix and then dip in the tea bags (preferably strong black tea e.g. assam).

I substituted the ground ginger powder for a knob of crushed yellow ginger for mine and added separately into the milk. And I left fennel seeds out because I didnt manage to get the ingredient. But I'm glad to say it still tasted fairly good! Except that my tea wasnt very fragrant.. SOmething that I think can be resolved with a more thorough dry roasting in future attempts.

Other links for Masala tea include http://lushdesi.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/chai-me-out-drink-with-lush/ , http://www.chai-tea.org/ and http://cumicori.blogspot.com/2006/02/masala-chai.html

As for my newest babies: Harumi and Vietnamese cooking, I will be slowly trying out the recipes - using them as inspiration for my office lunch bentoes! I may just share my food if I likes you [: