This was our first week making a beverage, which was a lot of fun, especially because masala chai (literally "spiced tea") involves so many fragrant and interestingly shaped ingredients. We don't yet have a class set of mortars and pestles, so we improvised and placed our spices in paper bags and whacked them with rolling pins until the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, cardamom, and peppercorns burst open. Class was cacophonous, but satisfying!
Our recipe is more of a guide - as Ms. Grace and I worked with students throughout the week, we continued to tweak it, adding more orange peel and cloves until we found the perfect blend of sweet and spicy to our taste. I made traditional ghee (clarified butter) with the leftover student-made butter from our arepas lesson last week, which we brushed on plain and garlic naan to add a savory component to our meal. The kitchen was filled with staff guests this week - thank you to Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Kia, Coach Dulin, Ms. Francis, Mr. MacBurney, and Ms. Rachel for eating breakfast with us.
We passed around each spice during our opening circle so we could experience the different aromas.
We learned the verb "to steep," which in this context meant we heated the crushed spices with water and then let the mixture sit to allow the liquid to absorb all the flavors.
The inside of a nutmeg is really cool!
Crushing spices first thing in the morning is a great way to wake up.
Our finished chai, plus naan waiting to be brushed with ghee.
Some of us held our pinkies up while we enjoyed our tea.
