Black Sesame Chai

• 份量: 3 cups
• 总时间: 35 mins

配料

One narrow (8-inch) piece ginger (about 3 ½ ounces)

1 tablespoon green cardamom pods (about 30)

1 heaping teaspoon cloves (about 25)

6 cinnamon sticks

⅓ cup honey, plus more to taste

Kosher salt

5 black tea bags

½ cup roasted black sesame seeds

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups whole milk

步骤

1. Make the chai concentrate:

Thinly slice a narrow 8-inch piece ginger. No need to peel. (If your ginger is quite fat, use 5-inches). Add to a medium pot.

Place 30 cardamom pods and 25 cloves in a mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag. Grind (or bang with a rolling pin) until crushed and broken down. Add 6 cinnamon sticks. Bash the sticks until crushed into pieces. Transfer spices to the pot with the ginger, along with 6 cups water, ⅓ cup honey, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Maintain a brisk simmer and continue to cook, 25 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add 5 black tea bags, stir, and let steep, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pot, gently squeezing to extract the tea.

Let concentrate continue to steep at least 30 minutes more or up to overnight. Strain, pressing on solids to extract any liquid, and discard. Your concentrate is now ready to use.

2. Make the black sesame milk:

Add 3 cups whole milk to a blender (preferably a Vitamix), along with ½ cup black sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend on high until the seeds are completely broken down and have turned the milk speckled and grey, about 1 minute.

3. Assemble:

Using a 1:1 ratio, combine milk and concentrate. Heat in a pot, in the microwave, or using a steaming wand. Season to taste with more honey if desired, and serve.

备注

This recipe has you making two key components: 1) a chai concentrate that will blow the boxed stuff out the water thanks to a 20-minute simmer with whole spices and lots of fresh ginger planks, which can last in the fridge for weeks, and 2) a jug of homemade black sesame milk, that is unsweetened but seasoned with a touch of vanilla and great in many beverages beyond just this one. In the end, you’ll mix the two together for a sweet-savory, spiced and roasty-toasty take on the classic tea drink. If there’s a different alt milk that speaks to you that you have on hand already, you by no means need to make the black sesame milk to enjoy this drink (any alt milk or even whole milk can easily be substituted) but of course, that’s what makes this recipe cool, fun, and even more delicious than the rest.