Homemade Chai Latte

The other day, we discovered a hole-in-the wall Asian grocery store. I love those kinds of hidden gems, in part because they stock so many things I've never even heard of, but also because we love Asian food, so buying ingredients where the "locals" (expats, in this case) buy them is always reassuring. I would have taken photos of the inside, but the aisles were so narrow and crowded, it felt too intrusive to start clicking away.

Asian grocery loot

We picked up three kinds of chili sauce (sweet, onion and regular), as well as lemongrass powder, green cardamom pods, cloves and Oolong and Pu-erh tea. Oolong tea is, based on this sample alone, not going to make the pantry cut. It tastes bland yet oddly herbal and required a considerable amount of honey and milk to make it drinkable. I've heard good things about Pu-erh tea, so I can't wait to try it.
I always stock up on green cardamom pods and cloves so I can make homemade Chai. No, it does not taste particularly similar to Starbucks Chai, but has a gazillion fewer calories, is caffeine free and is a suitable alternative in Chai emergencies.

Homemade Chai  Latte (makes 2-3 mugs)
2 Roiboos (redbush) tea bags
3 mugs of freshly brewed water
6-7 green cardamom pods (roughly crushed)
6-7 whole cloves
1/2 tsp (or a splash) of vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks
Milk and honey to taste
(have not tried it with black pepper, star anise or ginger juice, all of which are contained in the Starbucks version)

Directions: Boil the water while putting all ingredients and tea bags, except milk and honey, in a small saucepot. Pour boiled water into sauce pot and simmer lightly about 5-8 minutes. Turn heat down and add milk until it has a nice warm latte color. Let seep a little longer, low heat, just until the milk is warmed through and the Chai is hot. Add honey to taste (I usually add around one or two tablespoons for 3 mugs), serve with one of the cinnamon sticks in your mug.That's it! Super easy and honestly, tastes delicious. Not to mention, it costs a fraction of Starbucks or Oregon Chai.

Sunday Blues

Every Sunday, at some point, I run out of chores I want to do. I trawl the blog world for entertaining updates, only to find depressingly few new posts. So here is my vow: Every Sunday, I shall post an update to my blog of three things that are currently on my mind.

1. Nautical stripes in clothing
LL Bean French sailor 3/4 sleeve top

LL Bean have really stepped up to the nautical plate. I ordered the french sailor turtleneck for winter and was pleasantly surprised by the weight and quality of it. One wash down and it still looks brand new. So I ordered the 3/4 sleeve version in white/navy and it's equally nice. For Christmas I received two Petit Bateau nautical stripe tops and although they are softer on the inside than the LLBean version, the PB is slightly more fitted at the shoulder, which means if you size up you end up with very long sleeves and a slightly longer than ideal overall length. LL Bean offers 15% off your entire purchase right now using code JSK5165.

2. Chai

Starbucks Chai tea concentrate

I lurrrves me some Chai. A friend of mine back in the college days introduced me to it at Whole Foods, and I've been hooked since. I buy the concentrate since I refuse to spend shopping money on $5 lattes and would easily drink these all day, if they weren't so calorific and caffeinated. The clove, nutmeg and vanilla all meld together for a wonderfully peppery and warming beverage. It tastes surprisingly delicious "on the rocks" in the summer too!

3. Jersey Shore

Yes, that's right. JERSEY SHORE. There, I said it.
I refused to watch it. I balked at those who knew the names of the cast. I cringed when I saw pictures of them drunk on a beach at 11am in the morning. Now, I am one of them.
I can't wait for the next episode, to see if Deena manages to stay upright for 24 hours, to decide if Mike "The Situation" was better as a man wh*re with a soft side or a snitch with a crush on Snooki, to comment for the millionth time how Pauly D looks like Bart Simpson from the side and to inspect from all angles JWoww's plastic surgery results. Ronnie and Sammi can go away. Please. Leave the Ron Ron juice.

Thank you DEC for lowering my IQ in such an enjoyable way.