Chai (Indian Spiced Tea)

Here in Australia “Chai” originally was a very alternative “Hippie” drink. It was served at alternative lifestyle festivals, communities and gatherings. There usually was a “ChaiTent”. In that tent you would find drummers and musicians, jamming all night and having cups of chai. The Yoga community embraced chai as well. People went to India for teacher training and brought the Chai idea back to Australia.

Nowadays you find Chai everywhere. There are chai teabags in the supermarket, premixed flavouring syrups and Coffee shops serve up “Chai Latte”.

I still think that the homemade version tastes the best. I have experimented and refined it over the years, here it is:

Black Tea

Pepper corns

Cinnamon sticks

Cardamom Pods (slightly crushed)

Bay leaves

Cloves (whole)

Ginger (fresh)

Star anise

Aniseeds (whole)

Nutmeg (grated)

Sugar

Milk

Per Cup

½ - 1 teaspoon tea (can also try decaffeinated tea, green tea or rooibush tea)

2 Pepper corns

2 Cardamom Pods (slightly crushed)

½ stick cinnamon

2 cloves

½ - 1 bay leaf

1 Star Anise “star”

Pinch of aniseed

Pinch of grated nutmeg

1-2 teaspoons sugar

Knob of grated fresh ginger

170 ml water/80 ml milk (based on a 250 ml mug)

Boil Water with tea leaves and spices, including grated fresh ginger. After the mixture boils for a couple of minutes, add milk and bring to the boil once more. Add sugar or honey, strain and serve.

Enjoy your cup of chai.  Yummy on a cold winter’s day.

Connie,

Your Yoga Partner

from

www.yogainahurry.com

When catering for children, do NOT use wine, use apple juice only instead.

This cake can be made completely without sugar and still tastes nice. 

You have to use fresh apples, tinned ones won’t do - the filling will go too sloppy.

Base:

225 g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

60 g sugar (or fruit sugar or xylitol)

1 pinch of salt

75 g soft butter

Knead dough (or make in food processor) and let rest in fridge for 1 hour.

Filling:

1 kg apples

2 packets of vanilla custard powder (or 100g or cornflour and one teaspoon vanilla essence)

2 packets of vanillin sugar

375 ml of white wine

375 ml of apple juice

I use 750ml of apple juice. If you use the white wine the recipe specifies extra sugar to be added (about 80g)

Roll out dough and line springform (26cm in diametre), also pulling the dough up to the side, make sure the edge is fairly high.

Peel and core apples and cut into cubes (about ½-1 cm in diameter). Boil up a custard out of the apple juice (or a wine and apple juice mixture), custard powder, vanilla sugar and sugar (if used). As soon as custard is cooked, stir in all the apple cubes.

Spread this filling into the base and bake for 50-60 minutes at about 200 degrees C. Wait a little while before removing from tin, as the filling will set as it cools.

Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 people:

2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil

1 onion, peeled and quartered

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander

(more…)

Transcaucasian Cabbage Salad

• 23 ml/1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice (I used 30ml)
• 30 ml/2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (I used a 6% one, Bertolli brand)
• 23 ml/1 ½ tablespoons sunflower oil (I used 30ml)
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large red onion halved and finely sliced (I used small white as I had no red, red is nicer for colour)
• 1.25 kg cabbage, outer leaves removed, cored, quartered and finely sliced (I used 1.5 kg and was very generous with the removal of the outer leaves and core)
• 6 tablespoons finely shredded mint leaves (I used 2 tablespoons because I had no more in the garden. I chopped them very finely).
• Combine everything thoroughly and chill for at least 3 hours. Toss again before serving.

This is one of our family favourties. Enjoy!

In Germany women used to pride themselves in baking 10- 20 different kinds of biscuits during December which then were served up at Christmas time and thereafter.The following recipes were handed down to me by my grandmother:

Coconut cookies

50g butter (unsalted)

100g sugar

vanilla extract

1 egg

rum flavour

bitter almond flavour

125g flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

(or use self raising flour)

1 tablespoon milk

250g desiccated coconut

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla, add egg and flavours. Add rest of ingredients.

Roll dough into little balls, place on tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 15 minutes till slightly golden. Remove carefully from tray as they are still quite soft.

Coconut Macaroons

125g butter

300g sugar

vanilla

4 egg yolks

50g flour

375g desiccated coconut

4 egg whites (beaten till stiff)

Mix all ingredients, then carefully mix beaten eggwhites into the dough. Use a teaspoon to make little mounds on a tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 200 C for 10-15 minutes.

Coconut Sticks

4 egg yolks

125 g sugar

180g butter

250g flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

250 g desiccated coconut

50ml vodka or brandy or grand marnier or similar spirit

Juice and peel of 1/2 lemon

Mix dough, roll into sausage shaped rolls, about 5-6 cm long. Bake on lined tray for 20-25 minutes at 180 C.

To make them extra special, melt chocolate and dip each biscuit into chocolate so it is half covered.

Enjoy!