Thursday, March 11, 2010

Home-made Chai Syrup

I am a huge fan of chai, and till now i have only used the powder version by arcadia which i discovered at the Good Food & Wine show 2009. I dont trust any cafes to make any drinkable chai lattes (except for Badde Manors in Glebe).

When i came across this link i just knew i had to try it, and it was so simple to set up. After buying a few small containers of spices from Woolworths (i already had condensed milk in the pantry) i excitedly put it altogether & chucked it in the fridge.

The next day i brewed a cup of black tea (i used Dilmah) & added four heaped teaspoons (not the recommended 2, i have a major sweet tooth!)


The result? - a sweet yummy spiced cup of chai drink that was beautiful to sip on, and later on refridgerated becomes a refreshing afternoon pick me up! So here is the recipe, i hope you can try it out- and let me know what you think :O)

Chai Concentrate Syrup


1 can (400ml /14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of freshly ground black pepper

In a plastic container mix together the sweetened condensed milk and the spices until everything is well combined. Cover and store in the fridge overnight.

To use, brew a cup of black tea as usual (or an English Breakfast) and add syrup to taste: two teaspoons for a slightly sweet and spicy cup, or a tablespoon or more for sweeter, milkier tea. If your spices are coarsely ground you can add the syrup directly to a teapot and pour the tea through a small strainer.

note- i accidentally bought whole cloves - oops! I wont name any names but - its all YOUR fault (you know who you are)

22 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for dropping by to my blog - cos now I know yours! I love chai tea and this sounds really simple. I will have to try it.

Unknown said...

Thanks for dropping by to my blog - cos now I know yours! I love chai tea and this sounds really simple. I will have to try it.

ChocolateSuze said...

mmm i love condensed milk haha i always have a tin of it in the cupboard too

Anonymous said...

Thanks for visiting!

I'm a huge fan of chai flavor too. Mmmmm!!

Deeba PAB said...

What a novel idea for a concentrate... chai flavour sounds really good. I've also got loads of whole cloves, and they are a pain to grind and sift, but can be done in the coffee grinder. Anyhting with condensed milk and these warm flavours has to be good!!

Anonymous said...

What a very handy recipe! Thanks Betty - I have been craving for chai! I must try this soon.

shaz said...

How interesting to make a concentrate. I wonder if the flavours would get more oomph if the milk is heated with the tea? Sounds like a great pick-me-up. (As for the cloves, at least whole cloves are a bit easier to fish out of the cup :))

msmeanie said...

Oh, I love chai! Being Indian-American, it was a big part of my childhood -- my parents' favorite beverage. This recipe sounds delicious and very authentic!

A cupcake or two said...

Oh Condensed Milk yummmm.. Chai is not a favourite of mine but I have tried it. Maybe I should try with extra teaspoons of syrup ehehe.

Not Quite Nigella said...

this is so clever Betty! I know what you mean, so many cafes do really bad chais!

Iron Chef Shellie said...

Love chai so will have to try! :P

Anonymous said...

Great idea! Thanks for sharing :)

yan_ange said...

This sounds quite easy peasy for the cook challenged me...but I am going to give this a try!

Julia @Mélanger said...

Wow, what a wonderful combination of flavours. I must give this a go!

Phuoc'n Delicious said...

I don't like chais that are too spicy; I prefer the sweeter ones eg vanilla and honey from Bondi Chai.. I guess you can adapt this to suit your taste by placing a few different spices in it eg I'd make a vanilla bean and cinnamon one.

panda said...

sounds yummy and also reasonably easy to make. will give it a go and let you know!

Helen (Grab Your Fork) said...

What a great idea to make your own chai syrup. I tend to make chai tea using the chai spice mixes from Indian grocery stores. It's be a great addition to cakes as well?

Rose said...

My secret to ordering chai in restaurants is to ask if they use loose leaf - it's it's the bottled syrup I won't bother. About Life has really good chai. Oh man, seconding what Helen said, maybe you can try some of the syrup in baked goods? I bet it'll taste awesome.

Amy @ cookbookmaniac.com said...

I am making this on the weekend!
hahaha! i love it when people put shout outs on their blogs. Your one is so funny!

Grace said...

yummoo haha
I like how you batched prepped the syrup, you must drink a lot of chai at home!! haha reminds me of how my grandma batch cooks huge pots of potato curry on the weekend to last us the week

Anonymous said...

Oh, mmm, your drink looks so good! I love the idea of making those expensive coffee beverages at home, especially since you get to control what's in them!
Thanks for sharing that recipe =).

~Kurious Kitteh

Anh said...

I am borrowing this idea! Love this recipe and I am such a big fan of Chai!