Chai Concentrate

Its been a very hectic year and I was really looking forward to a festive break. In the run up to Christmas I was gifted some really tempting edible gifts. I then took to Pintrest to find something that called out to me and ask me to make go make it ! I found a beautiful photograph of Chai Concentrate here . It was an easy to prepare recipe and so I started to get all the ingredients together and wasn’t able to get my hands on orange pekoe tea bags so I decided to make a few modifications of my own.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 5 English breakfast tea – tea bags
• 5 mulled wine spice  bags
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 12 whole cloves
• 9 cardamom pods split open and the seeds powdered
• 8 coriander seeds or 1/4th tbsp of ground coriander powder
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 vanilla bean sliced in half
• 1.5 tbsp orange zest
• 1 inch piece of ginger,skinned n cut into thin strips
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns

Method:

• In a large sauce pan bring the water to boil and reduce the heat to a minimum
• Add the spices, tea bags,orange zest and ginger and cover with lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes take the saucepan off the flame and let it stand for 10 -15 minutes.
• Then add the honey and stir it in along with all the beautiful spices which have steeped in well into the mixture.
• Let this cool completely , the  strain the chai concentrate through a large sieve lined with a fresh cheesecloth. The spices are to be discarded.
• Add the strained chai concentrate into clean glass bottles.
• Decorate the glass bottles with pretty tape and add a small name tag with a bit of coil.
• This mixture stays for 2 weeks in the fridge and can be had as hot winter drink with 1/3rd parts concentrate and top it off with hot milk, it also is good with a glass of cold milk and ice with a dollop of honey stirred in!
• I loved the idea that the chai concentrate can be added into cookie dough for an extra zing – I am going to try that soon!

After making this gift I feel so good inside that I have taken an extra effort to actually create something unique, I think am going to make a habit out it and make delicious little treats for birthdays and anniversaries too!