According to my friend who used to live in India, “chai” means tea and there are many kinds of chai – some of them are spiced. So, this is the way that I make spiced chai, but you can alter the spices to suit your tastes. Whole spices are the way to go since they have more flavor and won’t leave powder floating on your tea. (more…)
Categories: Indian · drinks · vegetarian
Passion fruit is one of James’ top 3 favorite fruits, so he was very excited to find it growing at our friend’s house. Then we found more of them at the main market in town. We bought 5 kilos and made a delicious juice that James remembers from his childhood in the Dominican Republic. This is more of a technique than a recipe because the hard part about making passion fruit juice is getting the pulp off the seeds. The proportions of water and sugar can be altered to your liking. (more…)
Categories: Latino · drinks · produce · vegan · vegetarian
I adapted the Cuban mojito so that it can be made in Laos. I haven’t seen rum since I got here – I don’t know why because they do import other Western hard alcohol. Lao Lao is probably the most consumed alcohol in Laos. It’s made from rice and a lot of people make it in their homes. I don’t know how it compares to sake, but you could try substituting sake and see how it goes. Rum is the most authentic option though, if you have it. (more…)
Categories: Lao culture · drinks · vegan · vegetarian
You can make your own hot chocolate mix really easily and then combine it with warm milk. To make the mix, stir together equal proportions of cocoa powder and sugar (like 1/2 C of each). Then whenever you want hot chocolate, warm some milk and add 1 or 2 tablespoons to each mug.
If you want cinnamon hot chocolate, you can add the cinnamon flavor to the milk before stirring in the cocoa mix. To do that, put the amount of milk you want in a small pan. Add 1 cinnamon stick (broken) for each cup of milk. Heat over very low heat for about 10 minutes. Do not let the milk scald. Turn off the heat and let the milk sit for an hour while the cinnamon flavor is released from the sticks. Finally, reheat, pour the milk into mugs, and stir in the cocoa mix that you made.
Categories: drinks · vegetarian
I have a stuffy head and nose. In China, the Dominican Republic, and probably lots of other places, ginger and honey are considered good for a cold. I hope it works! (more…)
Categories: drinks · vegetarian
