The word chai isn't used a lot in raw, vegan & sattvic conversations. Chai, meaning tea in India, is usually cow's milk mixed with water heated on the stove and then mixed with hot black tea - not raw, not vegan and since it's caffeinated, not sattvic either. In the south they add LOTS of white sugar too. You can't even walk a few feet without seeing a small chai shop. They're everywhere, and you can get a freshly made steaming hot cup of chai for 5 rupees (roughly 11 cents in US dollars).
But hey, no one reading this blog wants to hear about that kind of chai. I'm talking about the raw, vegan sattvic kind today. Yep, that's right it's chai spiced chia pudding. All you need is some chia seeds, a liquid, a tea bag and sweetener (if desired). Here's the recipe:
Sattvic India Spiced Chia Pudding
Start by flavouring the liquid you will soak your chia seeds in. I used a homemade raw almond milk. You could also use water or banana "milk" which is a banana liquefied with some water in the blender. The ratio I use is one cup of liquid for 1/3 cup chia seeds. Now grab your favourite non-caffeinated tea bag and let it soak in the milk for a few hours. I received a free sample of Four O'Clock's rooibos chai with a magazine, so I decided to try it out. Four O'Clock's tea is not only organic, but also fair trade certified and they have lots of naturally caffeine-free varieties. It's also a Canada company, which I love ;)
After the milk is flavoured you can stir in the chia seeds and sweetener (if desired). Mix everything well. Keep in the refrigerator for a few hours to thicken up. Keep checking on the mixture occasionally and stirring to make sure lumps of seeds don't form. No one likes a lumpy pudding.
I finished my pudding off with a sprinkling of dried shredded coconut reminiscent of my time in South India. Coconut trees were everywhere in the part of India I was in. So I couldn't go a single day without eating something with fresh coconut in it. But hey I'm not complaining.
As you can see there are lots of possibilities of different combinations using different tea. I'm thinking a peppermint flavoured one would be lovely. Four O'Clock also has a chocolate spice tea that uses carob, not chocolate, so it's caffeine free (can you tell I'm in love with this company now?).
Stay tuned for another India spiced recipe, cookie balls ....
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But hey, no one reading this blog wants to hear about that kind of chai. I'm talking about the raw, vegan sattvic kind today. Yep, that's right it's chai spiced chia pudding. All you need is some chia seeds, a liquid, a tea bag and sweetener (if desired). Here's the recipe:
Sattvic India Spiced Chia Pudding
Start by flavouring the liquid you will soak your chia seeds in. I used a homemade raw almond milk. You could also use water or banana "milk" which is a banana liquefied with some water in the blender. The ratio I use is one cup of liquid for 1/3 cup chia seeds. Now grab your favourite non-caffeinated tea bag and let it soak in the milk for a few hours. I received a free sample of Four O'Clock's rooibos chai with a magazine, so I decided to try it out. Four O'Clock's tea is not only organic, but also fair trade certified and they have lots of naturally caffeine-free varieties. It's also a Canada company, which I love ;)
After the milk is flavoured you can stir in the chia seeds and sweetener (if desired). Mix everything well. Keep in the refrigerator for a few hours to thicken up. Keep checking on the mixture occasionally and stirring to make sure lumps of seeds don't form. No one likes a lumpy pudding.
I finished my pudding off with a sprinkling of dried shredded coconut reminiscent of my time in South India. Coconut trees were everywhere in the part of India I was in. So I couldn't go a single day without eating something with fresh coconut in it. But hey I'm not complaining.
As you can see there are lots of possibilities of different combinations using different tea. I'm thinking a peppermint flavoured one would be lovely. Four O'Clock also has a chocolate spice tea that uses carob, not chocolate, so it's caffeine free (can you tell I'm in love with this company now?).
Stay tuned for another India spiced recipe, cookie balls ....
3 comments:
I'm scared of chia seeds
Why?? Chia seeds are so good!
Great recipe! I love chia seeds but I only use them in my smoothies. Gonna definitely try this.
I recently wrote an article on the health benefits of chia seeds, check it out and let me know what do you think about it, I would really appreciate it!
http://www.theironyou.com/2011/06/chia-seeds-aztec-superfood.html
Peace
Mike @TheIronYou
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