Recipe: Overnight Chai

Along with warming foods traditional cultures place an emphasis on warming spices like ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. And my overnight chai combines all three for a grounding postpartum drink.

I typically use black tea but if you’re looking for a caffeine-free alternative rooibos or dandelion root make excellent options. Both are bitter and cooling, from an Ayurvedic perspective so they calm emotions.

Ingredients

4 cups of milk of your choice (I typically brew it with oat milk)

4 bags of black tea or 4 tablespoons of loose leaf

6 whole cardamon pods, slightly crushed

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, cut into 4 pieces

1 cinnamon stick

Method

In a saucepan place 2 cups of milk along with the black tea, cardamon pods, ginger, and cinnamon. Bring to boil and then turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups of milk, bring back to simmer, and then turn off the heat, put the lid on, and leave to brew overnight (if using cow’s milk it’s best to brew it in the refrigerator, all other milk can be left at room temperature). The following day strain and reheat to serve. You can also stir in honey or maple syrup if you’d prefer a little sweetness.

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