Getting Spicy: Wake Up & Smell the Cardamom

GETTING SPICY

Wake Up & Smell To use cardamom, you can buy it ground from your local supermarket, or you can buy whole cardamom pods. the Cardamom To use the cardamom pods, you have to smash and crack the pods open in order to get to the inner cardamom seeds. BY AMANDA ROLAND Once you expose the seeds, remove them from the pod and crush them If you have ever tasted delicious Indian food or sipped with a mortar and pestle. With your on a warm cup of chai, you have experienced the fresh ground cardamom, you can add complex and unique flavor of cardamom. Cardamom is it to Indian-style dishes like curry and an aromatic spice used in savory and sweet dishes. The tikka masala, or steep it with black tea flavor itself is hard to describe; some say it has a sweet to make your own chai latte at home. taste with hints of mint and pine. The spice hails from India, but it now touches every part of the world in all kinds of dishes and drinks. In fact, cardamom is used in As well as being pleasing to the pallet, cardamom provides many benefits for us to enjoy. The spice is packed with many holiday dishes as a warming spice, and it tastes antioxidants, which may help the body great in drinks like apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes. fight off free radicals and decrease one’s

CHAI TEA LATTE FOR TWO

INGREDIENTS 3 teabags of black tea (or loose black tea) 1 cinnamon stick 6 cloves 4 cardamom pods 2 cups of water Sweetener of choice 1 ½ cups milk of choice Optional: fresh ginger

DIRECTIONS In a small saucepan, lightly toast your cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods on medium heat until the spices become aromatic. Stir the spices occasionally to make sure they do not burn.

Next, add 2 cups of water to the saucepan, add your teabags/loose leaf tea and brew your tea how you like it. Use more or less tea depending on how strong you like your

YOU CAN BUY CARDAMOM IN THE SPICE AISLE OF MOST GROCERY STORES!

tea. If you would like, you can steep a small piece of fresh ginger with your tea if you have it. Ginger is another common spice used in India. When your tea is done steeping, sweeten it according to your taste with your favorite sweetener. We recommend using honey or agave.

Next, strain the tea mixture through a finemesh strainer to remove any spices or tea leaves. Return the mixture back to the saucepan if you need to reheat it.

To serve, prepare your milk by warming it and frothing it. Pour the warm tea into two mugs, and then pour the frothed milk on top, stirring to combine. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and enjoy! CARDAMOM HAS BEEN USED SINCE ANCIENT TIMES TO TREAT BAD BREATH AND IMPROVE ORAL HEALTH BY FIGHTING MOUTH BACTERIA

blood pressure, according to Healthline, an online health resource. It has also been used since ancient times to treat bad breath and improve oral health by fighting mouth bacteria!

If you are in the mood to try some cardamom at home, make this delicious homemade Chai Tea Latte to sip on all season long!

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