One of the most enjoyable ways to carry our travel memories with us is through culinary experiences. The flavors, aromas, and hues of food and drink we make at home can take us right back to our favorite travel destinations. During our podcast conversation with PBS TV host, Mickela Mallozzi, host of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, she talked about her morning ritual of making Chai tea from scratch. It takes her 45 minutes, start to finish, but she considers it a relaxing, meditative process that takes her right back to her time in India. Listen to the podcast here, and try your hand at Mickela’s homemade chai recipe.

Save this recipe to Pinterest so you can make it anytime. Photo courtesy of Canva. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Mickela Mallozzi’s Homemade Chai Recipe

Our thanks to Mickela for sharing her very own homemade Chai recipe: 

Ingredients:
1 nub of fresh ginger (the size of half of my thumb)
9-11 green cardamom pods
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Vanilla almond milk
Whole milk *feel free to use whatever kind of milk you like (soy, almond, oat, skim, 2%, etc.)

Method:
Peel the ginger, grate into a little pot with about 2-3 cups of water.
Crush the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar and throw the ground pods (including skins) into the pot.
Add some ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Ratio of water to milks (1 part almond milk, 1 part whole milk, 2 parts water once simmered down).
Add Vanilla Almond Milk (sweetened, if you like) and 2 teaspoons of loose “assam” tea (or any black tea you may have). Simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add whole milk and simmer for another 2 minutes.
Turn off heat and let pot sit for another 10 minutes to steep.
Strain into mugs and enjoy!!  It is SPICY!!!  Add honey or sugar to taste, but I find there’s enough sugar from the Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk for my taste.

Hungry for more? Click here to enjoy our conversation with Mickela Mallozzi on the Real Food Traveler podcast.

Mickela Mallozzi is the four-time Emmy® Award-winning Host and Executive Producer of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, a travel series highlighting the diversity of dance which airs on public television stations nationwide and on Amazon Prime Video globally. Explore more on www.TravelBareFeet.com.