Finding the real spice of life with turmeric chai latte

I love chai tea – not the powdered or syrup-based sugary variety served by many cafes but the real stuff thing packs a really delicious, spicy punch aimed squarely at boosting your immune system and your health generally.

My favourite recipe comes from a great blog called The Minimalist Vegan – I have a saucepan of this amazing chai on the stove all the time, usually without the coconut sugar because I enjoy the subtle sweetness of the vanilla and star anise. Recently I started adding turmeric to the pot, with delicious results.

Turmeric is a wonderful and ancient spice, used for cooking and as a dye for 4000 years. While you might be more used to the bright yellow dried and powdered variety in the supermarket, it is actually a rhizome (like a thick root or bulb) that grows in tropical climates. Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and also lowers cholesterol, helps fight cold and flu and may prevent Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.  If you’re lucky you can buy it fresh from your local Indian grocery store or even fruit and veg shop; otherwise the powdered version is fine.

Turmeric and ginger rhizomes

The healing benefits of other spices in this chai read like a roll call of wonder drugs – they variously treat diarrhoea, lower blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and are anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial and high in antioxidants. Cloves are great for treating headaches and toothaches, and clove oil is a favourite amongst many mums with teething bubs.

I love this tea black, but it adapts nicely to a lovely creamy latte by replacing the water with coconut milk. I use Ayam brand coconut milk and cream in my cooking as they don’t use any stabilisers, just coconut.  Using undiluted coconut milk in the latte makes an exceptionally rich, creamy drink that is almost like a meal in itself, so you may prefer to use one third water, two thirds coconut milk or a 50/50 mix instead for a lighter drink. While I don’t use sugar in the black version, the flavour of the latte version is improved by honey – agave nectar or rice malt syrup would also work.

Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pods, vanilla pod, star anise, peppercorns

 

Turmeric chai latte

1½ cups coconut milk (diluted with water if desired)

1-2cm fresh turmeric, finely chopped

2cm fresh ginger, finely chopped

Half a vanilla pod, sliced down the centre and seeds scraped out with a knife

Several peppercorns

10 cloves

10 green cardamom pods

A star anise

1½ tsp honey

Place all ingredients, including both the vanilla pods and seeds, in a small saucepan and stir to combine the honey and coconut milk. Gently heat on the stove over a low heat until it reaches a temperature just short of boiling. This is important as cooking the coconut milk too hot and too quickly will cause it to split and create an unpleasant texture. 

Turn the stove off, put a lid on the saucepan, and leave the chai for 30 minutes so the flavour of the spices infuses through the coconut milk. Reheat gently, then pour through a sieve and serve with a little cinnamon or nutmeg on top.

Turmeric chai latte, flecked with vanilla seeds and topped with nutmeg