How can I sweeten my Chai with Spicy Fruit? Go to Chai recipe, here.
A sweetener for your chai, this Spicy Fruit concentrate replaces almost all of the sugar in chai recipes. Dried fruits and spices are infused overnight for strong flavor.
Add a spoonful of Spicy Fruit concentrate to your chai for a delicious taste.
This Recipe is in 2 parts: Part 1 – Spicy Fruit sweetener. And Part 2 – Chai.
Part 1 Ingredients: the Spicy Fruit
Makes about 8 oz fruit concentrate
4 dried apricots*, chopped
4 dried plums, chopped
4 dried Medjool dates, split, pits and papery end removed, chopped
1 teaspoon ground true cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3-5 clove buds
extra clove buds (optional)
3 slices fresh ginger
3/4 cup pure water
Part 2 Ingredients: Chai
Makes 2 Chai servings:
3/4 cup pure water
3-5 clove buds
1 true cinnamon stick
5-10 black peppercorns
1 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew, almond or coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar (or to taste)
about 1 teaspoon Black tea from a teabag, or to taste**
Equipment
1 4 cup heavy-bottomed pan with tight-fitting lid
1 – wire mesh tea strainer
1 – 8 oz glass jar with tight-fitting lid
Method for Part 1, the Spicy Fruit
1. First, cook the spices and fruit together. Place the dried fruit, cinnamon, 3-5 clove buds, dried ginger and 3/4 cup water in a small pan on the stovetop. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. The fruits should look very softened and the water or liquid should be a medium brown color.
2. Turn off the heat, keep the pan covered and allow mixture to cool. There should be a small-ish amount of syrup or liquid and the fruits should be partially submerged in the syrup. (See below***) Taste the liquid: it should be spicy.
3. Push the 3 slices of fresh ginger and 3 cloves into the mixture. Keep the pan covered overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
4. The next morning, blend the spices and fruits. Remove the ginger slices and transfer the fruit and spices to a deep-sided bowl and blend to achieve a smooth paste. Turn the paste out into an 8 oz jar. Place the lid tightly on the jar and refrigerate until using.
Spicy Fruit concentrate is spreadable, too! Slather on toast or pastries as desired. Keeps about 1 week.
Method for Part 2, the Chai
1. Decoct spices for chai: Pour 3/4 cup pure water into the pan and place on the stovetop. Lightly crush peppercorns and clove buds, pour into pan along with the cinnamon stick. Turn heat to medium and allow to boil. Then turn down the heat and simmer the spices (decoct them) in the water for 15 minutes.
2. Add tea leaves and milk. Open the lid and tip in the contents of one black teabag. Pour the milk in over the black tea and spices. Still on simmer, close lid and steam for 3-5 minutes. You don’t want to boil the milk! but instead want it to be very hot.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to rest 5 minutes. Strain the tea and discard all dregs.
4. Return the tea to the pan. Add 1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon of Spicy Fruit concentrate to mixture. Whisk in Spicy Fruit to incorporate.
5. Pour into serving cups or mugs and savor this fruity blend!
TEA NOTES:
* Apricots can be either sulfur-dioxide free, or not. The un-sulfured ones are brownish–not a big deal here!—but may stand up to being blended better than bright orange and softer apricots.
** Black tea is traditional for East Indian Chai, but other teas will work, too. Try oolong tea, or twig (Bancha) tea. Adjust the simmering time to suit.
*** Even if the fruits are very dry, they will plump up if you soak them overnight! Don’t fret! The syrup or concentrate will be very tasty if you allow an 8-hour soak for the fruits to soften and absorb the spices.
Inspiration for this recipe comes from Nira Kehar’s Ojas, a Cookbook: Modern Recipes and Ancient Wisdom for Everyday Ayurveda. While not reviewed in these pages, her cookbook’s many fantastic recipes are well noted. See it mentioned in “Cool It with Licorice Taste”, here.
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