Recipe - Dry Rub for Pork

Dry Rub for Pork 

Dry rubs are mixes of herbs & spices that are liberally applied to the meat prior to cooking. Generally, the longer the rub is left on the deeper the flavors penetrate the meat.

Dry rubs are especially suitable for grilling over indirect heat or in the oven at 300-325 degrees.

Tails & Trotters Basic Rub 

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tsp smoked paprika (Pimenton de la Vera)

Mix together in a medium bowl. Store leftover rub in a sealed jar for a month or so.

For steaks, coat liberally 10-30 minutes before grilling.

For roasts, allow up to 3 hours before cooking.

Additional ingredients include:

 Garlic powder
 Ground Cumin
 Ground Coriander
 Cracked Bay Leaf
 Cracked Mustard Seed

Podnah’s Texas-Style Dry Rub 

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coarse ground pepper
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
Especially good on ribs & brisket. Allow mixture to rest about an hour before cooking.

CHAI - Amazing Chai from Chai Pilgrimage!

Big Batch House Chai #9
Makes 12 cups (about 6-8 servings)



2 teaspoons decorticated (pod removed) cardamom seeds, or 40 green cardamom pods 
9 cups water
1 Ceylon cinnamon stick – 3”
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1/2 cup freshly grated ginger root
3 cups whole milk
Several saffron strands
2/3 cup Sucanat (or sugar)
2 tablespoons CTC tea (or 6 black tea bags or 4 tablespoons orthodox Assam tealeaves)

Finely grind cardamom in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and set aside.  Add water to medium pot and place on high heat.  Crush cinnamon stick and fennel seeds with mortar and pestle and add to the pot.  Add ginger and stir.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In large pot, add milk and saffron; place on medium heat.  As soon as the milk starts to simmer, add Sucanat and stir.  When it returns to a simmer, turn off heat and set aside. After spices have simmered in the water 10 minutes, turn off heat. Add tea and cardamom to water, gently stir and cover.  Steep 5 minutes. Using a fine-mesh strainer, pour the spice and tea mixture into the sweet saffron milk.  Stir thoroughly and serve.

Big Batch House Chai #108:

Same as above with the addition of the following: 
1-3 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon dried tulsi (available from Ayurvedic herb suppliers like Organic India and Banyan Botanicals.)

Finely grind allspice and clove(s) in a mortar and pestle and add to the water at the beginning with the other spices.  Add the tulsi later with the tea and cardamom.



Chai Guru Chai (a Spicy, Goat Milk Chai)
Makes 8 cups (about 4-6 servings)

6 cups water
1/2 Ceylon cinnamon stick - 1-1/2”
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon  whole allspice berries
4 whole cloves
1/3 cup freshly grated ginger root
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 cups goat milk
several saffron strands
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup 
1 teaspoon decorticated (pod removed) cardamom seeds, or 20 green cardamom pods
4 teaspoons CTC tea (or 4 black tea bags)

Stop.  Breathe.  Smile.

Add water to medium pot and place on high heat.  Crush cinnamon stick and add to the pot.  Finely grind peppercorns, allspice and cloves in a mortar and pestle and add.  Add ginger and nutmeg and stir.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In large pot, add goat milk and saffron and place on medium heat.  As soon as the milk starts to simmer, add maple syrup and stir.  When it returns to a simmer, turn off heat.  Finely grind cardamom in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. After spices have simmered in the water 10 minutes, turn off heat, add tea and cardamom, gently stir and cover.  Steep 5 minutes.  Strain the spice and tea water through a fine-mesh strainer into the sweet saffron milk.  Stir thoroughly, give thanks and serve.

from http://chaipilgrimage.com/pages/chai

Chai Masala Tips

• For the freshest taste, use “cut and sifted” ginger and grind it with the other spices. These dried, chopped-up bits of ginger are available in bulk at natural food or herb stores.
• Use Ceylon cinnamon, which is soft, as the hard cassia cinnamon will not grind easily.
• Powdered spices may be used but will lack the flavor and potency of freshly ground spices.
• A coffee-bean grinder can work instead of a spice grinder, but they tend to be less durable.
• Chai masala can also be used as a garam masala, a warming spice blend used in Indian dishes, and tastes great in hot cereal.
• You can find our "Chalo! Chai" recipe that uses this masala in Chai Pilgrimage.

CHAI - Ask a Chai Wallah - All About Chai!

Ask a Chai Wallah

If you want good karma, make good chai. – The Masala Chai Wallah

Welcome to Ask a Chai Wallah! The Masala Chai Wallah (a.k.a. Patrick), our resident chai wallah and Chaiyurveda scholar, is eager to lend a helping ladle and answer your spicy chai-making questions.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What spices should I use? How long should I simmer the spices?
What if the spices taste weak in the cup?What type of tea should I use?How much tea should I use?Do I simmer the tea or steep it, and for how long?How much milk should I use?Should I boil the milk?How much sweetener do I use?What is the best method for brewing masala chai?

Debra from Evanston, IL asks …
There is a particular flavor that I have tasted in many chais that I finally figured out is star anise. I noticed that you do not mention star anise as one of the chai spices on your spice page. Why not? I love the taste! Do you know about it? How much should I put in my chai if I make my own?

Masala Chai Wallah: One cannot help but notice the unique taste of star anise in a masala chai. Many of the commercial chais add it to their brew and I have tasted it in the chai at some Indian restaurants in the U.S.  Although we did not include it in our chai spice section, I did develop a recipe that features star anise in our book called Cinnamon Star Chai. To me, the flavor of star anise is a bit overriding, so I matched it with other heavyweight spices like cinnamon, black pepper and clove, and added a lot of milk to buffer the intensity. It was a challenge for me to use star anise, which I seldom use, and leave out my favorite spices: ginger and cardamom. After much trial and error however, the Cinnamon Star Chai recipe is one that, surprisingly, I love! When using star anise, I would suggest starting with one star, crushing it thoroughly, and simmering it with other spices.

Surya from LA asks…I am from Nepal studying in the U.S. I love chai but as a college student I don't have time or means to prepare a good masala chai. I am limited to tea bag, black pepper, cinnamon, milk, and sugar. Can you offer any advice on making my chai experience better? Do you have any fast and easy but delicious recipe?

Masala Chai Wallah: Namaste Surya! I have fond memories of homemade Nepali chiyaa (chai in Nepali) with cinnamon and black pepper! Although i think preparing chai with fresh-ground spices each time is ideal, when time is limited, a powdered chai masala is a convenient option. I added our Spice Wallah Chai Masala recipe to our chai recipe page. You can adjust this recipe to your liking and make your own masala. When i’m in a hurry, I just sprinkle some chai masala on my to-go mug tea, stir it up, and head out the door!

Shannon from Oregon asks…
I've had chai that was made using vanilla and blackstrap molasses. I want to experiment incorporating those two ingredients and was wondering if you had any advise for me? When/how to add the molasses or vanilla bean verses vanilla extract?  I'm now on a mission to learn all I can about how to make chai and it's in part thanks to you!

Masala Chai Wallah: We also enjoy the rich molasses taste in our chai that we get from using Sucanat, a type of evaporated cane juice, that we use in our chai. Molasses, however, I have never used. I would suggest using a two-pot method to prepare your chai. In one pot, simmer the masala of spices you are using in water. In another larger pot, add the milk and heat it up. When the milk is about to come to a boil, add the molasses and stir it in, then let it heat up again and turn off the heat just as it starts to simmer. (If you throw a few strands of saffron in the milk at the beginning, it will bring your chai into another world). As far as the vanilla goes, fresh bean is best and a little goes a long way. I am not sure how much chai you are making, but I would start with 1/2–1 inch of vanilla bean, if it is soft and fresh, chop it up into small pieces, and add it to the masala (the spices and water) at the very beginning. If you are using extract, it may be better to add it at the end, as an alcohol extract may evaporate a bit with boiling.

...............................................

What spices should I use?
In India, we drank some wonderful adrak chai (ginger chai) and elaichi chai (cardamom chai) that each paid tribute to a single spice. Both were delicious. One, the other, or a combination of the two spices serves to create a classic masala chai. And still, there is a cornucopia of exquisite spices just waiting to dance on your tongue! I prefer to use one or two spices for the primary spicing, then perhaps a few more as supporting spices. Ginger, cardamom, Ceylon cinnamon, fennel and saffron are my personal favorites. A touch of tulsi, allspice, pepper, nutmeg or clove can be used to shape a more striking brew. Star anise, bay leaf, vanilla, mint, coriander, rose petals, licorice root, orange peel or any other culinary or medicinal herb or spice you savor can be experimented with to create your own unique brew. To me, what marks the perfect cup of masala chai is when you can distinguish each individual spice on the palate, while at the same time, the spices blend into one synergistic flavor that is beyond words.

How long should I simmer the spices?
This is really a matter of personal taste as well as experience with how the various spices respond to simmering. I find that 10 to 15 minutes is usually sufficient to release the flavor from most freshly ground spices. Some chai wallahs will allow their masala to boil down for hours think- ing the flavor will continue to expand with longer simmering. But some spices, like cardamom, will lose flavorful essential oils if over-brewed. And others, like cinnamon, become overbearing and flat tasting if boiled for a long time. Follow your taste buds.

What if the spices taste weak in the cup?
Next time use more spices or brew longer. Try adding more sweetener to lift up the spices if it is not too sweet already. If you like ginger, grate some and squeeze the fresh juice into the pot or into each cup. You can also have a powdered chai masala on hand to sprinkle on top (see Spice Wallah Chai Masala recipe on page 120 of Chai Pilgrimage).

What type of tea should I use?
CTC (crush, tear, curl) tea is the traditional type of black tea used to make chai in India. It produces a strong, dark brew that stands up to the milk and spices in a masala chai. CTC is the granular tea found in most black tea bags and is available by the pound at Indian grocers. One can also use a high-grade orthodox black tea, green tea or any type of tea they wish.

How much tea should I use?
Again, this is a matter of preference. A guideline of one teaspoon of tea leaves per one cup (eight ounces) of water is generally recommended. This is a good ratio for a full-leaf orthodox Indian black tea. When using CTC tea, this amount will give you a strong, Indian-style tea. But again, in India they drink much smaller portions. So one must factor in how much chai they enjoy in a sitting and how stimulated they would like to be. My favorite teacup holds two cups (16 ounces). Personally, I enjoy drinking a couple of teacups of masala chai in the morning, but I do not like being over-caffeinated. Therefore, I often brew a relatively weak cup of chai so that I can enjoy more of it, using approximately one-half teaspoon CTC or one teaspoon orthodox whole-leaf tea per eight-ounce cup. If you’d rather have a decaf, or “chai-less” chai, simply leave the tea leaves out altogether.

Do I simmer the tea or steep it, and for how long?
Traditionally, the tea on the streets of India is boiled. This is directly contrary to what most tea manufacturers suggest. They recommend steeping Indian black tea for three to five minutes in boiling water (100C, or 212F). When using high-quality tea leaves or Darjeeling tea, a temperature just below boiling and a shorter steep time may be preferred. If one desires a milder tea, use less tea and steep for less time. For a stronger tea, use more tea leaves and steep the full five minutes. When tea is steeped too long, it becomes extremely bitter. This is especially true of CTC or broken-leaf grades that steep quickly. When making masala chai, I usually brew the spice masala, turn off the heat, add the tea leaves, and steep for the desired time. Using a timer helps to prevent over-steeping.

How much milk should I use?
If you are using full-fat cow’s milk, anywhere from a 1:1 to 1:5 ratio of milk to water is good, depending, of course, on how milky you like it. The milk helps cut the intensity of the hot spices and the bitterness of the tea. Plant-based milks, like rice or almond, are generally thinner, so more will be needed. For these milks, a 1:1 ratio usually works well.

Should I boil the milk?
Simmering the milk brings out its inherent sweetness and makes it more digestible. In India, in areas where refrigeration is less common, the fresh raw milk is usually boiled when it first arrives for pasteurization and is used soon after. Whether we use raw or store-bought milk, we usually bring it just to a simmer then add the sweetener and bring it again to a momentary simmer while stirring.

How much sweetener do I use?
The sweetener is important to draw out the flavor of the spices, but with too much sweetener, your chai will end up tasting like the milk on the bottom of your cereal bowl. We find it best to start with a little less than what you think you will need. The sweetness level is the one factor you can easily adjust upward after you are finished. You can also allow your guest to add more, if desired, in his or her own cup.

What is the best method for brewing masala chai?
There are an endless number of ways to prepare masala chai. Every aspect of preparation, from which ingredients to add first to how long to brew, varies from chai wallah to chai wallah. Here are two methods:

One-Pot Method
Simmer spices in water • Add milk, sugar (and tea) • Bring to a simmer again, turn off heat • Cover and steep (or add tea now and steep) • Strain into teapot or cups and serve.

Two-Pot Method
In one pot, simmer spices • In another, larger pot, heat milk and sugar • Turn off heat to spice water, add tea, steep • Strain spice and tea water into hot, sweet milk • Stir and serve.

From Chai Pilgrimage - http://chaipilgrimage.com/pages/ask-a-chai-wallah


Benefits found in Chai:

CHAI - Indian Spice Prana - CHAI Pilgrimage

Ginger • Cardamom • Cinnamon • Fennel • Clove • Black Pepper • Allspice • Nutmeg • Saffron • Tulsi

When selecting masala chai spices, it is wise to choose the freshest, organic, finest quality, whole spices available. From an Ayurvedic standpoint, high quality in a spice means that it is full of prana, or life-force. Using prana-full spices makes the chai come alive. Old, stale or powdered spices, on the other hand, will produce a lifeless end result.

Within a plant, prana is the living intelligence that is transferred to our body upon ingestion and digestion. This botanical intelligence is what communicates to our cellular intelligence how to go about healing itself. To protect the life- force of the spices, it is important to keep the spice intact, in its whole form, until it is placed into the simmering water that will extract its prana. The easiest way to do this is by purchasing whole spices instead of powder: fresh ginger root, whole cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and so on. When using spices that have been pulverized on the other side of the world months before and have been sitting on the shelf for just as long, this prana, along with flavor and healing potential, has escaped by the process of oxidation. For this reason it is also beneficial to store spices in airtight glass, porcelain or tin containers, preferably in a relatively cool, dark location in the kitchen.

The best tools to have are a mortar and pestle, an electric spice grinder and a coarse grater. Indian chai wallahs will often just use a rock to smash the spices. We have heard of sadhus, or wandering monks, who simply crush the spices in their teeth, but we do not recommend this. Personally, we use a coarse grater for the fresh ginger, the electric spice grinder for the hard cardamom pods and a mortar and pestle for everything else. Perhaps the most important benefit of processing the spices manually is that one’s own energy, or prana,is infused into the spices as they are crushed. This is where chai making can become an alchemical art, as one transmutes one’s chai into a golden prayer for friends and family.

Traditional masala chai spices help to increase the body’s prana in other ways. Ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and other chai spices support the function of the lungs, thereby allowing one to absorb more elemental airprana through the breath. In addition, almost all of the spices are digestives that help the body assimilate nutritive prana from food. And many of the warming chai spices act to burn up toxins in the body, thus clearing away unwanted sludge that impedes the flow of healing prana through the channels of the body. Honoring the prana and innate wisdom of the spices, therefore, is paramount as we prepare a deliciously healthy cup of masala chai.

GINGER - Zingiber officinale • Sanskrit: Ardraka • Hindi: Adrak

Ginger has been used as a medicinal plant around the world since antiquity. Called the “universal medicine,” it is used in Ayurveda, traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western herbalism for a broad range of conditions. Ginger’s warming quality counteracts many cold-induced illnesses brought on during the winter and is a common home remedy for colds, flu, sore throat and sinus congestion. It can calm stomach nausea, vomiting and motion sickness, and it helps relieve intestinal gas and abdominal cramping, including menstrual cramps. We found it indispensable for these conditions while traveling in India and always carried it in our daypack, even eating it raw when necessary, as a first- aid treatment.

Ginger burns up mucus and congestion and acts as an expectorant for the lungs. It cleanses the body by burning up toxins or eliminating them through the skin by stimulating perspiration. By neutralizing toxins and promoting circulation, it helps treat rheumatic conditions and osteoarthritis as well.

Ginger is a powerful digestive because it stimulates saliva flow, ignites the digestive fire and tones the stomach. My ayurvedic teacher, Dr. Vasant Lad, suggests enjoying a thin slice of ginger with a few drops of lime juice and a pinch of mineral salt before eating to kindle digestion. As an entire medicine chest in one plant, it is a good idea to always have some on hand in your home.

Ginger is the primary spice in masala chai. The fresh root (actually a rhizome) is available at most supermarkets. As a general rule, a root that is compact and bright yellow on the inside will be spicier and stronger tasting than the large, watery, pale-looking variety. To use it, grate, smash or thinly slice the fresh root and add it to the simmering masala. Using a coarse grater is the simplest method, and there is no need to peel it. For an extra-spicy chai, grate and squeeze some fresh ginger juice into each cup. In a pinch, you can use dried ginger; but the whole, fresh ginger root will offer the best flavor.

Elettaria cardamomum • Sanskrit: Ela • Hindi: Choti elaichi

Cardamom is equal in standing to ginger as a classic masala chai spice. Even if you use only these two spices in your chai, you can create a tasty, well-balanced brew. Cardamom is traditionally used to improve one’s taste sensation. Added to chai, it can open your taste buds, allowing you to truly appreciate a delicious batch of chai. It also counteracts the mucus-forming properties of milk, making it a balancing addition to a milky chai with the added benefit of freshening the breath.

Cardamom is useful for those suffering from asthma, breathlessness or bronchitis. It is also used to alleviate colds and cough and as an expectorant to expel phlegm. Cardamom is recommended as an herbal remedy for many symptoms of digestive upset, including indigestion, nausea, vomiting, belching, flatulence, bloating, colic and acid reflux.

For the best-tasting masala chai, use whole, plump, green cardamom pods. The whole pod can be ground up in a spice or coffee grinder. When using a mortar and pestle, smash the pods, remove the brown seeds from within and grind them to a powder. The green shells can either be tossed in the pot or discarded. If you cannot find the whole pods, the decorticated seeds (pod removed) can be used but may lack the fresh flavor of the sealed pod. It is not worth buying the powder, because it oxidizes quickly after being ground and has already lost its potency on the shelf. I have found that it is best not to boil the cardamom but to add it to the masala after turning off the heat and letting it steep. The volatile oils, and with them the flavor and medicinal value, diminish with boiling.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum / Cinnamomum cassia • Sanskrit: Tvak • Hindi: Dalchini

Cinnamon is called tvak in Sanskrit, which literally means “skin,” because it is obtained by peeling off the sweet inner bark, or skin, of the tree. Like many other chai spices, cinnamon’s warming nature aids digestion and is traditionally used for a variety of stomach and intestinal imbalances such as indigestion, nausea, gas, vomiting and diarrhea. As a home remedy, it can be made into a tea or added to food to improve circulation and relieve a general feeling of coldness. It can also alleviate menstrual pain, abdominal cramping and muscle spasms.

Cinnamon warms the internal body and is used medicinally in Ayurveda as a general tonic for the organs and to increase vitality. It warms the kidneys, strengthens the adrenals and the heart, and purifies the blood. Acting as an expectorant on the lungs, it is useful for coughs, congestion and asthma. Cinnamon is considered an aphrodisiac and is used to alleviate male sexual debility.

There is a significant difference between what is called “true cinnamon” or “Ceylon cinnamon” and its relative cassia bark, commonly referred to as cinnamon in North America. True cinnamon has a sweet, subtle flavor, while cassia’s taste is strong, pungent and even peppery. One can identify Ceylon cinnamon by its soft, tan, multi-layered stick that is easy to break up by hand. Cassia, on the other hand, is very hard and reddish brown in color and consists of a single thick quill of bark.

The flavor of cassia cinnamon can be overpowering and can easily dominate a masala chai if too much is used. Using just a little as an accent, however, adds a wonderful taste. We prefer the delicate taste of Ceylon cinnamon in our masala chai. When adding cinnamon to chai, it is better to use the stick than the powder. The stick will give your chai a richer taste and prevent it from becoming “muddy,” which happens when fine cinnamon powder does not thoroughly strain out.

Foeniculum vulgaris • Sanskrit: Shatapushpa • Hindi: Saunf

Fennel is a gentle home remedy useful for many stomach and intestinal discomforts. It can be used safely by children and the elderly for gas, cramps, indigestion, abdominal pains and gastrointestinal spasms. It is an indispensable herb for nursing mothers and babies because it both promotes lactation and soothes colic. At Indian restaurants, one usually encounters a bowl of roasted fennel seeds at the exit so that after indulging, a spoonful can be chewed to aid digestion and help prevent gas formation. You can easily roast your own at home and keep them out to munch any time to gently warm your digestive fire. Simply dry roast the seeds in a skillet until they are slightly browned and you begin to smell the medicinal aroma. Fennel makes a delicious after-dinner tea, on its own or with a little fresh ginger.

Fennel is an amiable component to add to just about any masala chai recipe because it offers a delicate hint of licorice flavor that will never overpower. And because fennel is not hot, like many other chai spices, it is the perfect flavorful addition to a summer chai or a children’s masala. It has become a mainstay in our house chai since the birth of our daughter to help keep “mother’s milk” flowing. The seeds are soft, so you can either toss them into your masala whole, or crush them a little in a mortar with a pestle to unlock the flavor.

Caryophyllus aromaticus • Sanskrit: Lavanga • Hindi: Laung

Clove is a dried flower bud picked from a tropical evergreen tree. Traditionally, it is chewed whole after a meal to freshen the breath and stimulate digestion. It can also be taken as a tea for nausea, indigestion or gas. Mixed with honey it is used to alleviate colds and cough. Spicy clove is commonly added to aphrodisiac concoctions.

Clove has a strong, pungent, somewhat bitter flavor that can easily override the other spices in a batch of chai. For a balanced masala chai, start with one or two cloves at first, then add more if you like, to taste. Clove is a very hot spice, so leave it out during the summer months or if you have excess heat in your system.

Piper nigrum • Sanskrit: Maricha • Hindi: Kali Mirch

Black pepper is native to the Malabar region of South India. For thousands of years, it has been the world’s most popular and widely traded spice. In fact, the Americas were accidentally “discovered” by Europeans while looking for a more direct route to secure their beloved pepper.

In Sanskrit, black pepper is called maricha, a name for the Sun, because of the tiny fruit’s ability to store such immense heat. This fire is pepper’s gift to the human body. It improves digestive strength, stimulates metabolism, burns up toxins, and destroys parasites and worms. It also helps to dry and expectorate mucus in the lungs, and dries up mucus in the sinuses and throat.

Black pepper can seriously pep up your chai. If you are running low on ginger, a few peppercorns can easily bring up the heat level. Be careful, though, not to create a masala chai that is too hot to drink! As with all spices, for the freshest flavor, grind the whole peppercorns just before adding them to the masala.

Pimento officinalis • Hindi: Kebab Cheeni

Allspice, also called pimento, is native to Central and South America and the Caribbean. More recently, it has been cultivated in India, though it is not a traditional Indian masala chai spice. Like its name suggests, allspice possesses the flavors of an entire chai masala in one extraordinary dried evergreen berry. Notes of ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and pepper are discernible in the aroma and on the palate, while allspice offers its own distinct flavor that is a synergism of all of these. As a pungent spice, it is warming to the body and aids circulation and digestion.

Allspice is an enigmatic accent to the traditional Eastern spices used to make masala chai. It can also be used as a substitute for any one of the spice flavors it encapsulates. To use, grind the whole dried berry with a mortar and pestle. Jamaican allspice is renowned as the best.

Myristica fragrens • Sanskrit: Jatiphala • Hindi: Jaiphal

Nutmeg is actually a seed, not a nut, but it offers a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. It contains sedative properties that relax the mind, making it a beneficial supplement to your hot milk at bedtime. It also serves to increase appetite and improve digestion. According to Ayurveda, nutmeg is yet another aphrodisiac masala chai spice that works in two ways: it acts as a sexual stimulant as well as preventing premature climax. Again, perfect for some in a nighttime spiced milk.

Just a little bit of freshly grated nutmeg powder in your masala chai brings out an aromatic freshness and grounding nut flavor. You can either simmer it with the masala or grind a pinch of powder on the bottom of each cup and pour the chai over it.

Crocus sativus • Sanskrit: Nagakeshana • Hindi: Kesar

Saffron is the dried golden-red stigma of the purple saffron crocus. Each flower contains only three stigmas and must be individually hand- harvested when it first blooms in autumn. This small yield and labor- intensive collecting process makes saffron the most expensive spice in the world. Ayurveda considers saffron to be asattvic herb, meaning its energy is pure, promoting clarity in the mind and heart of one who ingests it. As an herbal medicine, saffron rejuvenates and cools the blood, making it useful for soothing inflammatory conditions. Being a sexual organ itself, its medicine acts to balance the reproductive system. Traditionally it is used to treat infertility, impotence and to regulate menstruation. Pregnant women, however, should avoid it.

Saffron has the aroma of hay dipped in honey. Its flavor is subtle but quite potent, so a little goes a long way. Only several strands are needed to enliven a batch of chai with the fresh taste that can only come from such a delicate floral substance. It offers a high octave bouquet of ethereal essence that can balance out the harsh, bitter tones of black tea, thus creating a full-spectrum masala chai.

I find the best way to use saffron in chai is to steep it separately in the hot milk while the other spices are simmering in the water. Its color will suffuse the milk, imparting a royal yellow color. You can also place a strand on the bottom of the cup and ladle the chai over the saffron, or simply garnish with a thread or two on top.

Ocimum sanctum • Sanskrit: Tulasi • Hindi: Tulsi

Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is a sacred medicinal plant revered as a goddess throughout India. So with respect, I will refer to her in the feminine. Her healing powers extend beyond her use in tea, as her very presence is believed to bestow protection and well-being. In the courtyards of Hindu homes we visited, there was often a Tulsi plant in a prominent location enthroned on a decorated clay pedestal. Tulsi’s woody stems are made into japa malas, or prayer beads, which are said to purify the body and mind of the wearer and fill him or her with bhakti, devout love for the Divine. Tulsi’s leaves or sweet-scented flowers accompany all ritual offerings made to Lord Vishnu and his incarnation, Krishna. In fact, each year the festival of Tulsi Vivah celebrates the marriage of Tulsi with Vishnu and starts off the wedding season throughout India.

Tulsi is a curative panacea of the plant world. In India, Tulsi is commonly taken for colds, coughs, flu and fever. Tulsi acts as a powerful adaptogen, assisting the body in maintaining homeostasis when faced with stressful influences, whether physical, psychological or environmental, like pollution or exposure to pathogens. Tulsi empowers the body with physical stamina, strengthens immune function and offers a generous supply of antioxidants. She enhances digestion and assists in the absorption of nutrients from food or other herbs. Tulsi also supports the function of the heart, lungs and liver.

If you live in a warm region or have ample sunlight in your home, it is easy to propagate Tulsi, both for her sacred ambience and to pluck a few leaves each day to steep in your masala chai. A leaf can also be placed on top of a fresh cup of chai as a goddess garnish suitable for the Supreme Being. If you do not have fresh Tulsi, you can infuse the dried leaves or powder into your masala. Because Tulsi energizes the body while at the same time calming the mind, she is well suited for a wholesome, caffeine-free masala. Dried Tulsi is available at Indian grocers and from Ayurvedic herb suppliers like Organic India and Banyan Botanicals.

- from Chai Pilgrimage

CHAI - What is Chai?

What is Chai?

Chai means “tea” throughout most of India. In West Bengal it is called cha, in Nepal and Darjeeling, chiyaa. The Hindi word chai, derived from the Mandarin or Cantonese word cha, refers to the black, green, oolong or other types of tea, all made through different processing methods from the same Camellia sinensis plant. Next to water, chai (also known as tea) is the world’s most consumed beverage.

In the West, "chai" refers to what in India is called masala chai. "Masala" means spice mixture. Masala chai is black tea brewed with spices like ginger and cardamom along with water, milk and sugar. In India, chai is made in fresh batches and drunk in almost every home. Each family has its own traditional way of making it. On every street there are open-air chai stalls where chai wallahsserve chai in small glasses or clay cups. It is a part of daily life – morning chai, afternoon chai and chai any time with friends or visitors. Most any gathering or transaction involves sitting down and sharing a small cup of chai. It is the commodity of friendship.

Chaiyurveda 101

Ayurveda, “the knowledge of life,” is the ancient healing science of India that teaches we are not separate from nature. As nature, we are in a living relationship with everything around us, thus constantly affected by our physical, psychic and spiritual environment. Our actions, diet, lifestyle, thoughts, relationships, emotions, sleep, spiritual practices, the seasons, the way we breathe, the chai we drink, and everything else we do and do not do, all affect the health of our being — body, mind and soul. The key to sustaining health, according to Ayurvedic principles, is to live in balance with our surroundings guided by the laws of nature. Ayurvedic healing draws from the abundance of natural remedies available to humanity for preventive and curative measures, including balanced diet, self-care practices, deep physical purification, meditation, yoga, therapeutic oils and plant medicines.

Lesson 1: The Karma of a Cup of Chai
Karma simply means “action,” and everything creates karma just by being what it is. The karma of fire is to create warmth, since fire is hot. The karma of meditation is to promote calm, by virtue of its stillness. The karma of winter is to make people chilly because of its cold quality. Likewise, the karma of a cup of chai — the effect it will have on a person — depends on the ingredients we use to make it. If we brew our chai with hot spices, it will warm us up. If we add a generous amount of tea, it will energize. When we imbue our chai with prayer and positive vibes while preparing it, the karma it brings to those who drink it is happiness. Thus, one must consider what it is they want out of their cup of chai, so they can choose what to put in it.

If you want good karma, make good chai.

Lesson 2: The Laws of Nature
Imagine that you are unbearably cold while taking an unheated, second-class sleeper train across northern India in January. A railway chai wallah places a steaming cup of masala chai into your frozen hands. You thankfully drink it up and become comfortably warm. The universal law acting here is that opposites balance: Cold + Hot = Balance. If you had an iced, unspiced chai (we never saw iced chai in India, but just for the sake of an example) you would have become even colder. The principle being, like increases like: Cold + Cold = Colder.

The fundamental teaching of Ayurveda is to do everything you can to create and maintain balance, both internal and external. When one is out of balance, disease can easily take hold. But if one is in a state of equilibrium, the body is well and best equipped to heal itself. Balance is supported by welcoming qualities into our lives that are opposite to our imbalances and refrain- ing from those things that took us out of balance in the first place. For example, if you feel cold: get out of the cold, put on a hat and sweater and drink some hot ginger tea before you get sick. If you have dry skin: drink more water, incorporate healthy oils into your diet, and avoid dry foods. Simple, right?

Masala chai, therefore, can be a healing elixir if it creates a state of balance within our being. During winter, warming spices like ginger, cinnamon and pepper will keep us in harmony with the season. In the sweltering summertime, mint, fennel, coriander, saffron, and the cooling nature of sweet milk, can help us stay cool and balanced.

With this knowledge we can concoct our masala chai by taking into consideration the season, as well as what other qualities are most needed to help balance those who are drinking it. The amount of tea we use, if at all, would depend on whether our guest is tired or anxious, and by what time of day it is. We would not want to fuel the flames of an angry, hot-blooded visitor with a spicy chai, but rather offer him or her a cooling chai and a peaceful environment in which to enjoy it. Asking questions like: “How do I feel?” “What will the weather be like today?” “Who is coming over?” will help guide your formulation as you brew up a restorative chai.

Lesson 3: Keep the Fire Burning
Another cornerstone of Ayurveda is that our well-being is greatly affected by our digestive health. Digestive strength is compared to a fire blazing in our stomachs called our agni, or fire of transformation. Agni digests our meal so we can assimilate the prana, or life force, present in the food. When our agni is burning bright, the life force transmuted from our food allows us to glow with health, longevity, joy, enthusiasm and intelligence. If our fire is weak, however, the food we eat will not be digested properly, and we will miss out on its nourishing prana. And not only do we not gain the full nutrition from our meal, but the undigested food becomes toxic as it sits in our body, considered by Ayurveda to be a primary cause of disease.

We can maintain a vital agni by giving it the fire-starter of spices and the firewood of digest- ible food. If we feed too many logs to our fire, however, we will smother it. For instance, milk is a food that is inherently heavy and cold, like a frozen-solid log, making it challenging to digest. What our agni prefers are warm and light foods that digest easily. What to do? Make masala chai, of course! Milk can be made into a balanced, digestible substance by heating it up, watering it down to make it lighter, infusing it with warming chai spices and sipping a moderate amount in a relaxing setting.

from Chai Pilgrimage

CHAI - Sattvic Yogi Tonic from Chai Pilgrimage

Sattvic Yogi Tonic (with vegan option*)
Makes 4 cups (about 2 or 3 servings)

1/2 teaspoon decorticated (pod removed) cardamom seeds, or 10 green cardamom pods
3 cups water
1/2 Ceylon cinnamon stick 1-1/2”
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root
1/2 teaspoon licorice root (yasti madhu)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon brahmi or gotu kola (optional**)
1/2 teaspoon tulsi  (optional)
Raw honey to taste
Several saffron strands to garnish


Finely grind cardamom seeds in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and set aside.  Add water to medium pot and place on high heat.  Crush cinnamon stick in a mortar and pestle; add to pot.  Add ginger and licorice root; stir.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add milk, increase heat and bring to a simmer again.  Turn off heat and add cardamom, tulsi and brahmi.  Gently stir and cover.  Steep 5 minutes then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into cups or teapot.  After it has cooled slightly, add honey to taste.  Garnish each cup with a few saffron strands.

*Note: For vegan alternative, substitute 2 cups water and 2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk).  Honey may be omitted or replaced with sweetener of choice.

**Note: Brahmi and gotu kola are very closely related herbs used traditionally to help focus the mind.  Brahmi and tulsi are available from Ayurvedic herb suppliers like Organic India and Banyan Botanicals.

- From Chai Pilgrimage

CHAI - Aphrodisiac Elixir Chai

Aphrodisiac Elixir Chai

Makes 4 cups (2 – 2 cup servings)
    
2 cups water
1 Ceylon cinnamon stick – 3”
5 cloves
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 cups whole milk
4 teaspoons orthodox Assam tea (optional)
1/4 teaspoon shatavari powder (optional*)
1/4 teaspoon ashvagandha powder (optional*)
raw honey to taste
several saffron threads to garnish

Add water to medium pot and place on high heat. Crush cinnamon stick and cloves in a mortar and pestle and add to pot.  Add ginger and nutmeg; stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add milk, increase heat and bring to a simmer again. Turn off heat, add tea leaves and cover. Steep 5 minutes. Strain into cups using a fine mesh strainer. Add ashvagandha powder for men and shatavari powder for women, and stir. After it has cooled slightly, add honey to taste. Garnish each cup with a few saffron threads. Enjoy!

*Shatavari and Ashvagandha are Ayurvedic reproductive tonic herbs for women and men respectively, although both may be consumed by either sex. (Because it promotes tissue growth, Shatavari should be avoided by women with abnormal growths in reproductive or breast tissue.)

 from Chai Pilgrimage