Rooibos leaves, which are grown in South Africa, resemble tea leaves but come from a different plant and don’t have any tannins. They have recently made an appearance on store shelves here. You can substitute black tea in this recipe; add it during the last 5 minutes of simmering.
Ingredients: [‘water’, ‘whole milk’, ‘cinnamon sticks’, ‘cardamom pods’, ‘whole cloves’, ‘fresh ginger’, ‘whole black peppercorn’, ‘sugar’, ‘tea leaves’]
Quantity of Ingredients: [“4 cups water”,”2/3 cup whole milk”,”2 cinnamon sticks”,”2 teaspoons cardamom pods, lightly crushed “,”1 teaspoon whole cloves”,”2 slices fresh ginger, quarter-size, lightly smashed “,”1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorn”,”2 tablespoons sugar”,”2 tablespoons loose rooibos tea leaves or 2 tablespoons black tea leaves”]
Number of Servings: 4
Steps: [‘Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pale rust colored, about 20 minutes.’, ‘Strain the chai through a fine sieve and serve hot.’]