My friends say this taste is synonymous with my home, but for me, the taste is India itself.
cardomom pods, cinnamon stick, black tea
Put a bit of water in a pot with crushed cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods (1/3 stick cinnamon, 1 whole clove and 3 pods per person).
Boil this for a few minutes, then add a mug of milk for each person ( I use rice milk, but a mix of soy and rice is really good, or regular old cow’s milk.) Add a black tea bag per person.
Heat gently and add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon honey per person or to taste. Leave it on the stove until you can’t resist the smell. The longer you leave it, the better it tastes.
Another option: use loose black tea and put it in the pot with the boiling spices before simmering. This is more traditional but I find it too strong.
Whatever gets me through the Ottawa winter is a good thing.
