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.