Tea of Memory - Chai (Indian Tea)

I brought my darling to Vij's for his birthday - it's a taste experience-type of restaurant and for the end of the meal, I ordered Chai tea and to my surprise, it transported me back to my village in Nepal oh, so long ago on my Canada World Youth exchange after high school. It was a bit thin and not sweet enough, but the smell and the flavour is just right! Luckily Vij's has the recipe on-line on their site.

4-5 orange pekoe teabags (7 - 8.75 gr)

1" cinnamon bark

1 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

4 green cardamom seeds

Whole milk

5-6 teaspoons sugar

5 1/2 teacups water (the actual size of the cup in which you'll serve tea)

1. You don't need all of the spices listed above to make chai. At home, we often just use green cardamom, and lots of it!
2. Depending on the strength of tea you prefer, use 4 teabags for a milder flavor and 5 for a stronger flavor. The amount of sugar should also be adjusted to your preference. Break the cardamom seeds. Place the cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the teabags and let boil for another minute. Add 3/4 to 1 teacup of milk, bring to an almost boil and remove immediately from stove. Remove teabags. Pour tea through a strainer and into a teapot or directly into teacups. Serve while piping hot. Once the chai has cooled, it cannot be reheated.

Sweet and Sour Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes and Cilantro

A lot of what I have been practicing in the kitchen for our daily meals has been wintery types of foods - creamy sauces etc. Today I tried a Cook's Illustrated sauce for chicken breasts that is light and summery with a bit of kick.

4 sautéed chicken breast strips (or see recipe to cook whole chicken breasts)

2 medium shallots, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tsps. ground cumin

1 tsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsps. apple cider vinegar

6 Tbsps. orange juice

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Prepare your sauce ingredients before cooking the chicken so that the cooking time is reduced and the chicken won't have the chance to get cold, or you can cover the chicken with foil and keep warm in a 250F oven.
2. Cook chicken breasts first and set aside.
3. To make the sauce is a quick affair. Set the skillet with the remaining oil and chicken bits over medium heat. Add shallots, chilli, and cumin; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add sugar and cook until shallots begin to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Stir in vinegar and orange and lime juices; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Boil the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Immediately stir in tomatoes and cilantro so they slightly cook in the residual heat of the pan; season to taste with salt and pepper (not really necessary).
7. Spoon sauce over chicken; serve immediately.