Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Tipu's Chai


It's been brought to my attention that I have been a delinquent blogger. So sorry about that. I haven't been whipping up much magic in the kitchen lately. I was in a bit of a, uh, "incident". An incident involving a mountain bike, a big root/stump thing, a trip over the handle bars, which therefore led to the emergency room, and eventually to my couch, where I have mused over the resulting slight concussion, lacerated liver and bruised rib. Quite an adventure in the last week. 

And I must say, the irony is not lost that I am supposed to be knee deep in wine sampling heaven, but noooo... Dr.'s orders are no alcohol for this injured liver for two weeks! One down, one to go....

SO, I figured this was the perfect segway to talk about that sample of chai that I was sent to sample and review. In case you missed my chai mania: my dear reader shared with me her mother-in-law's authentic recipe for chai masala (see the August post), which then led to the makers of Tipu's Chai contacting me to see if I would review their product. 

I have to say, that usually when it comes to products, if I have the ingredients to make something from scratch as opposed to buying something pre-packaged I would rather make it myself. Plus I like to tweak recipes to make them the way I like them. However, with my latest "incident" - not being able to remember my own address or my loved ones names & howling in pain whenever I sneeze, having something instant on hand has been divine intervention.

Like most authentic Indian chai recipes, Tipu's Chai recipe has been handed down from grandmother, to mother to son, traveling from India, across three continents and made it's way into an Indian restaurant in Montana in 1997. The popularity of their tea resulted in the birth of these commercial products. I think I mentioned before how I love how serious Indian people are about their tea, and I love how generous they are in sharing a good thing.

I was happy to see that the chai that the cool folks at Tipu's makes is purely tea and spices. They add no milk powder, sweetener or chemicals. Tipu's Chai is available in an Original or Decaffeinated Concentrate, a Slow Brew Original or Decaffeinated, as well as the package that I got: Instant Black Chai. These are all USDA Certified Organic, kosher certified and made with fair trade tea. 

The Instant Black Tea, aka: my new couch buddy - is a snap to make. Add 1 teaspoon of chai to 1/2 cup of boiling water and 1/2 cup hot milk and sweeten to taste. (I like to add a little more of the tea to make it a little stronger.) It really is a great blend of spices and tea, smells like Christmas in a cup and makes me feel like I am drinking something that is actually good for me.

BUT for when my time on the wagon is over, I happened to stumble on a recipe on their website for a Chai-Tini. Hello! Chai and booze? Now that sounds like the Swigs and Grinds we all know and love, right? So in case you need something a little livelier to do with your chai, here's the recipe:


Tipu's Chai-Tini
2 oz Myers’s rum
2 oz chai concentrate
½ oz simple syrup
Scoop Vanilla Ice Cream
Swirl in blender and serve in a martini glass with a cinnamon/sugar rim and mint twig.

Alternately: use 1 1/2 ounces half and half and shake with ice.  Strain and serve. 

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back in the kitchen (and the wine rack) soon.... until then, check out Tipu's Chai website, www.tipuschai.com and pick up a sample for yourself!
Cheers! 

2 comments:

  1. Omgosh, I was trying to comment on Saturday's Muse, but it wasn't working...a concussion and a liver lac, that's scary!! I hope you're recovering rapidly. Your writing ability certainly hasn't suffered :)

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  2. Girl, you better post soon, I'm having S&G withdrawls!!! Pullllllleaze!!!!!!!!
    Oh, and thanks for all your fun writings.......
    A Devoted Fan

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