Chocolate Chai Latte | Chocolate Chai Tea | Full Proof Recipe | Lots Of Tips & Variations

 

Who else can feel that nip in the air in the London weather? Well, I certainly can and that means I will be looking for comfort in a cup. To explain more, a hug in a cup means - good chai, good coffee or a good cup of hot chocolate. And ever since Moma Foods have sent me their Oat Milk tetra packs for taste, I have been sipping a lot of cups of Indian masala chai, dalgona coffee and hot cocoa.

I have tasted vegan milk range before, such as almond milk, soya milk, cashew milk but never oats milk. So when I was approached to try Oats Milk from Moma Food, I was so excited to give it a try. Every time you google or ask someone –what’s the most healthy breakfast, -the answer is always oats. Now imagine, even having your first drink of the day like coffee or tea also made with oats milk-healthy and interesting isn’t it!!

At Moma Foods they milk an oat. Yes-right! They know oats well and with lot of research they produced delicious, nutritious and incredibly tasty milk from oats.  They use wholegrain best quality oats, which are packed with good-for-you fibres like beta-glucan. Oats milk helps to maintain cholesterol levels for a healthy heart. Bonus, they then doubled the goodness by adding calcium and vitamins D, B2 and B12. So this milk is as good as any dairy milk without hurting the animals. How cool is that.

They have two varieties of Oat Milk at the moment. The Original Edition – Unsweetened Oat Drink which is creamy & versatile oat drink that's perfect for hot drinks, recipes, cereal & more. Made with wholegrain oats. The second one The Barista Edition – Unsweetened Oat Drink. This one’s for all you baristas out there – in your coffee shops and in your kitchens. An oat drink carefully crafted to work perfectly in every coffee creation. Coffee connoisseurs rejoice – here’s a creamy oat drink you can foam, froth, steam and splash into any cup of coffee.

I am just so pleased with Barista Edition Unsweetened Oat Drink. I used it make my morning Indian Chai, evening coffee and also pour it in Indian gravy curries and it proved to be outstanding every time. It has no strong taste or smell-it is so good that I don’t believe it is made out of such a healthy ingredient –Oats! Foaming this milk is so easy too, I just pour some in jar, gave it a shake and there it was-creamy frothy milk foam ready.

And that’s why I was tempted to try Chocolate Chai Tea Starbucks style at home. As soon as the winter peeps in, Chocolate Chai Tea is sold in almost popular cafe such as Barista, Costa Coffee, ___ and since due to Covid-19 we are avoiding going out, I created it at home. The Moma Foods Barista Oats Milk was just so perfect for it.

What is Chai Tea?

Chai Tea is nothing but Indian Masala Chai. Tea made with loose tea powder, milk, sugar, water and some spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and or ginger.

Is Chai Tea and Chai Latte same?

Yes, I will say so. Chai Latte is just a fancy name used in cafes. Aparently there is no difference between chai tea and chai latte, just that chai latte is made using tea bags and is much milder on spices.

What is Chai Latte tastes like?

It is sweet, and has a tint of spicy flavour due to nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. A lot of versions are available for chai latte too-such as using vanilla, pumpkin spice, mint and chocolate.

What is Dirty Chai? What is double Dirty Chai?

Dirty Chai is Chai Latte with a shot of espresso in it. Yes, combination of chai and coffee (who thought). Double Dirty Chai is double shots of espresso in masala Chai Latte. To tell you a little secret, no cafes have dirty chai on their menus, you need to ask for a chai latte with an added shot of espresso. Starbucks does the best Dirty Chai.

Today’s recipe is about Chocolate Chai Tea. A beautiful combination of chocolate and chai. If like me you love chocolate and chai both to the core, this recipe is for you. Its sooooo good-I promise.

Do Chocolate and Chai go together?

Hell yeah! Sweetness from chai and creaminess of the milk, balances the bitter strong taste of chocolate very well and it’s nothing but pure indulgence.

What chocolate to use in Chocolate Chai Tea?

It depends on your preference. I used mix of unsweetened cocoa powder and hot chocolate. You can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate or even white chocolate.

Is Chocolate Chai Tea healthy? What are the healthy variations?

Chocolate Chai Tea is not healthy and I would recommend having it every day. It is a luxury treat; you must have it here and there, when you need that ‘hug in a cup’. It has sugar, milk, chocolate-all rich in fat and high calories, so what can be the healthy variations? First of all ditch full fat dairy milk, opt for healthy alternatives such as skimmed milk, almond milk, soya milk or oats milk. Try not to lather the chai with heavy whipped cream or chocolate sauce or chocolate chips. Basically avoid adding more sugary stuff.

What styles or types of Chocolate Chai Tea can you make?

Oh, there are so many options to upgrade your chocolate chai tea at home.

·         Add mint powder or use mint chocolate to make minty style chocolate chai tea.

·         Use a hint of pumpkin spice, and you have your Halloween autumn style pumpkin chocolate chai tea ready.

·         Need a little spicy kick? Sprinkle some chilli flakes or uses Chilli Chocolate to make this.

·         Pour in caramel sauce or salted caramel sauce if that is what you fancy.

What makes good Chai Latte or Chai Tea or Chocolate Chai Tea?

Being an Indian, I know the true meaning of good chai. A good masala Indian desi chai is an emotion.

·         Use good quality tea. We use lose tea at home. Indian brand called Bhagbakri. It’s strong and just right in terms of colour and aroma. If you want that strong (karak, kadak) chai then you will need to add in extra tea bags because tea bags are very light in taste.

·         Use spices, whole spices. There are tons of options to choose from. Use a mix of spicy sharp ones such as clove, nutmeg, black pepper or ginger and the ones that are delicate such as cardamom, cinnamon or star anise.

·         Tea and chocolate must be used in the same quantity. I don’t like overpowering taste of one. I like the balancing taste of chocolate and tea both in my cup. If you prefer either of it more or less, adjust accordingly.

·         I recommend using a mix of unsweetened cocoa powder and hot chocolate. Cocoa powder will give tough bitter chocolaty taste, while hot chocolate will increase the silkiness because of the ingredients in it.

·         Finally, have patience. Let it boil and simmer.

Ingredients:

2 cups water

4 teaspoons tea powder (8 tea bags)

2 teaspoons sugar

4 cloves

2 black peppercorn

1 small piece cinnamon

1 cardamom

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons unsweetned cocoa powder

2 teaspoons hot chocolate

Cocoa powder for dusting/sprinkling

1 piece of dark chocolate

5 tablespoons milk to foam (optional)

Method:

In a pan or a pot on a medium heat, boil water, tea, sugar, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon and cardamom. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Add in milk, cocoa powder and hot chocolate. Let it boil and simmer on medium heat for around 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer again for 2-3 minutes.

In the meantime, take the 5 tablespoons of milk in jar and shake it. It will turn into foam.

Sieve or strain the chocolate chai in your favourite mug.

Pour the foam milk on it.

Garnish it with dusted cocoa powder.

Dip in the piece of the dark chocolate and serve hot.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Moma Food for sending products for review.

1 Minute Microwave Pizza In A Mug | No Egg 60 Second Pizza in a Mug | No Oven Pizza | Vegetarian Pizza

Okay, so this by far is the most interesting recipe I am sharing with you all. To those of you who follow me on my social media platforms would know how much I love and savour Pizza. I can eat a pizza almost every day, yes yes and I am not exaggerating, I promise I can; but then I am reminded of Joey’s dialogue from the television series Friends- once on lips, forever on the hips. So if like me you also loooove pizza and there are days when you crave for it really bad, but want to shut your mouth because of all the calories-then this recipe is going to solve your problem.

So are you ready?

This is:

·         1 minute pizza

·         A 60 second pizza

·         No oven pizza

·         Gets ready in a microwave

·         You only need a cup, a mug or a bowl –no other utensil required

·         No knead pizza

·         Anytime pizza, instant pizza and preparations takes only 1 minute.

·         Freshly made, no store bought pizza base needed

·         Can satisfy anytime hunger pangs.

·         Great for kids who loves pizza; this way you can portion control too.

·         Office lunch time meal idea too. I would prepare it a mug; cover it with Clingfilm and then just microwave at work. Piping hot pizza ready in 1 minute.

So if the above point entices you and excites you, you are on the right page. Now imagine, you have that sudden urge to have a pizza, but you are not hungry enough to have one whole pizza. Or you don’t want those frozen pizza from the supermarket or a store bought dominos, pizza hut or papa john pizza, you want to make your own, but again you don’t have so much time to knead the dough and work with the yeast-in both the above cases this one minute pizza in a mug in a microwave is your answer.

There are tons of recipes on this concept and I tried so many of them until this one worked really well for me. So this is my tried and tested recipe after many failures and attempts.

How to make a good Microwavable Pizza in a mug/cup/bowl? What are tips to make a good pizza in a cup? Here are my tips.

• Measure the ingredients. Do not eyeball the ingredients or just use as per approximation. Correct measurements are very important.

• Use a mug which is broad from the top, you want the microwave waves to reach up till the bottom, so cup that has a broad opening from the top, just like a bowl will do the trick.

• Do not add too many toppings, just a handful. Remember it is a very small pizza.

• This is an eggless recipe, without an egg and this is my next tip-please do not use egg, it will ruin your pizza.

• Do not try to use whole wheat flour, I tried and it failed miserably.

• You can use tomato ketchup or a mix of spicy sauce and tomato sauce instead of pizza sauce-and it work just fine.

• Last but not the least, have it hot, eat it right when it’s out from the microwave. This is instant pizza recipe so you cannot reheat it –it will become rubbery, so have it instantly.

If you follow the above tips, I promise you can just not go wrong with this recipe. So, here is

Indian Vegetarian, No Eggs, 1 Minute Microwave Instant Pizza in a Mug recipe.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons all purpose flour/maida

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons pizza sauce (or tomato ketchup)

3 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese

Toppings- I used 1 black olive, 1 tablespoon chopped capsicum and tomato

1 teaspoon dried herb (or mix oregano and basil)

1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes

Method:

In a mug that you are using, mix all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix all the dry ingredients.

Add milk and olive oil. Mix with a fork, so that you don’t have any lumps.

Spread the pizza sauce on it.

Top it up with grated cheese and spread toppings.

Sprinkle dried herb and red chilli flakes.

Microwave for 1 minute.You will see that cheese has melted and is bubbling on the top.

Enjoy right away.

Notes:

You might need to microwave for 1 minute 10 or 20 seconds. The timing is based on my 1200W microwave so your timing might vary.

Cooking time might also vary depending on the size of the mug. The mug I used is around 1 and ¾ cup.

Always keep an eye, just in case you see that it is overflowing. Pause for 2 seconds and start the microwave timer again.

Kale Chane Ke Kebab | Veg Shami Kabab | How To Make Melt-In-Mouth Kebab | Healthy-No Fry Method

For the days when you don’t want to make rotis and yet want to eat something healthy and fulfilling, Kebab is your answer. Previously, on my blog I have posted Lentil Seekh Kebab (Dal k kabab) and Mixed Vegetable Kebab recipes. Honestly, if not fried kebab can be very healthy and nutritious. Today we will be talking about Chane Ke Kebab.

How many types of channa we have?

We have four kinds of chana in our legume family.

-kabuli chana (chickpeas) also called as chole or white garbanzo beans.

-Kala Channa (brown/ black chickpeas).

-Hare Chana, these are fresh and you don’t need to soak it overnight and are green in colour.

-Chana Dal, basically it is baby chickpeas that has been split and polished and is a form of a lentil.

And you can make kebab with all the four kinds mentioned above.

Today it’s about Kale Channe Ke Kebab which is also called as Shami Kebab. And this is a vegetarian version of it. You will see tons of recipes on the internet from all the amazing chefs such as Sanjeev Kapoor, Tarla Dalal, Hebbars Kicthen and many more. I honestly wanted to make a healthier version of it-no deep frying and no paneer and potatoes. Just the protein rich patties which, tastes just like shammi kebab.

Why do Shami Kebab break?

Ideally shami kabab is made with boneless meat and thus it is easy to bind it. These ones are veg shami kebabs and so it might break easily. To avoid breaking of kebabs while frying, make sure that kebabs are binded properly and there is no water in the mixture.

How to make shami kebab thick?

A lot of time this question is asked and yes it is an important question, because if the kebabs are not thick enough you will be left with crispy top and bottom layer which wont taste like kebab at all. Thick kebabs means crispy layers and melt in the mouth consistency inside the kebab. So, how to make kebab thick is also by paying attention to the mixture-it should have no water-period!!

How is veg shami kebab made? What to use to make good veg kebab?

There are so many things that you can use to bind the veg kebabs. You must use ingredient that helps to absorb water from the chana and gives you a good texture. I have tried using boiled potato, grated/mashed paneer, bread, bread crumbs and roasted chana powder/chickpeas flour (besan) and all of them does the trick. Since I am talking about healthy shami kebab without frying, I defiantly wanted to make the one without aloo. I used a slice of a bread and that did the trick and also made the crust crispy.

How to make smooth shami kebab? How to make melt-in-mouth shami kebab?

Make sure that channa or chickpeas is boiled properly. Over-boiled chana is easy to mash and will also give you that perfect non-veg kind of velvety texture. Secondly, remember everything you added in the kebab is already cooked, so all you need is a cooked crispy layers on both the sides so don’t overcook kebabs otherwise you won’t get that velvety taste.

Can you freeze shami kebab?

Yes, you can. These should do well in the freezer for atleast two months. You can cook the kebab and then freeze it in a air tight container or Ziploc bag. Defrost it in the fridge for atleast 8 hours and then heat it again on the pan before serving.

How to make Shami Kebab healthy?

• Do not use potato or paneer for binding; instead use roasted besan or gram flour. You can use bread crumbs or a slice of brown or white bread too.
• Dont fry it. I just used little oil and roasted it on a non stick tawa. Every ingredient is already cooked, so all you need is crispy coating and that can be done just by roasting the kebab too-why fry it!

How do you eat shami kebab? What do you eat shami kebab with?

This is one amazing party starter or appetiser. It looks great and your guests feel that you worked very hard on this. You can serve it as a starter with any chutney or ketchup. Or you can make it into a main meal item by serving it inside the wraps or pita bread with some salad, mayonnaise or yogurt.

Lets see how to make Veg Shami Kebab, Kale Chane Ke Kebab.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown chickpeas soaked overnight in the water

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 inch ginger grated

2 cloves garlic grated

1 green chilli finely chopped

3-4 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

2 teaspoon garam masala powder (recipe here)

¼ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds/saunf

¼ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds

1 slice bread

2 tablespoon roasted gram flour/besan

4 tablespoons oil

¼ teaspoon chaat masala (recipe here)

Method:

Drain the water from the chickpeas and pressure cook the chickpeas with 2 cups water, salt and turmeric for 4-5 whistles. When the pressure is released, drain the chickpeas and let it cool down.

In a mixing bowl, add ginger, garlic, green chilli, coriander leaves, garam masala, crushed coriander seeds and fennel seeds. In it add boiled chickpeas and start mashing it with a masher. Mash it till you have smooth mix ready.

Add in bread and roasted gram flour. Make soft dough. If you feel that there is water left then add more bread.

Heat the oil in a non stick pan. Add oil.

Divide the kebab mix into 6 parts and make a ball out of each one. Flatten the ball and form a shape of a disc.

Roast it on a pan on medium heat till it becomes golden and crispy. Turn on to the other side and roast again.

Sprinkle some chaat masala on the cooked kebab and serve hot.

Yogurt Trifle : No Bake, No Cook: Dessert In A Glass: Healthy No Added Sugar Dessert

It was 5 years ago when I went to Istanbul Turkey when I first tasted a yogurt enriched with kefir and it was a love at first sight for me. Beautifully fermented and so authentic that my body immediately realised that I ate something good. What is Kefir, if you ask? Kefir or kephir (ke-FEER), is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. If you want to know more about the health benefits of kefir I highly recommend you read this.

Now, I am someone who takes probiotics supplements everyday because my gut health is not that good. So when I was recently asked if I would like to try products from the company called Biotiful Dairy, I instantly said yes and was so excited to give it all a try because their products are loaded and enhanced with kefir. Their portfolio of products is so interesting and attractive, from Original Kefir Drink to Kefir Cheeses. From Kefir+Protien deepened Drinks and Yogurt to Kefir Ice-cream and Kids Friendly Kefir range-they have it all covered.

Biotiful Cultured Dairy Milk is a great alternative to those sugar loaded drinks. On a dull afternoon while we played chess we gulped on Mango and Strawberry flavoured yogurt drink and were absolutely hooked. Nutritious Dairy drinks that are light and fruity- smooth, luscious bursting with fresh flavours.

I also tried my hands on Kefir Cheeses and I can bet they are amazing alternative to cottage cheese, feta cheese or those cheese spread you get in the market. There are so many ways you can use these cheeses in day to day recipes such as in sandwiches, omelettes, on your salad, over crackers with some tomatoes or just have them as a dip with crunchy cucumber and carrot sticks. I used two big spoons Herbs & Garlic Cheese into my tomato pasta and it made it so creamy and just so yum. The cheeses can beautifully flavoured and so light on tummy-you have to try them.

Biotiful also sent me Kefir + Protein snack tub which combines the gut-friendly benefit of Kefir with the high-protein creaminess of Quark. It has a pure, natural taste and a delightfully thick and creamy texture. This is a perfect after meal dessert idea or just to beat your hunger pangs during the middle of the day. You can add in some chopped fruits or berries or even top up it with handful nuts to make it even better and scrumptious. One day, when the temperature went up, I skipped my lunch and had mango and blackcurrant flavoured from this series and I was completely filled up and sufficed.

To tell you more about Biotiful Dairy; they produce cultured Kefir Dairy drinks and snacks using British milk and the ancient method of fermentation. The result? Cultured milk drinks and snacks that are naturally lower in sugar, full of gut-friendly cultures and high in protein. Almost all of their products are:-

• Billions of gut-friendly bacteria
• High in protein & calcium
• Source of Vitamins B12 & B2
• No sugar added
• Red Tractor approved farms
• Free of artificial colours, flavours and preservatives
• Gluten free
• Suitable for vegetarians
• Kefir made in the UK

When I was left with Strawberry flavoured Kefir + Protientub, I knew I wanted to create something with it. I understood that this ‘just rightly’ sweet snack will make a perfect dessert. Desserts in a glass are my all time favourite ones. Easy to make, easy to serve and looks beautiful too! So, with that thought I decided to make Yogurt Trifle. No bake, no mess, no cooking-easy peasy summery Yogurt Trifle.

This layered gorgeous looking dessert gets ready in a jiffy and there are tons of variations you can do here. I used Lotus Biscoff biscuits as my first layer but you can use any digestive biscuits, oreos, cream biscuits, cookies or even granola or crushed cornflakes. For the second layer I used Biotiful Dairy’s Kefir + Protien Starwberry tub but you can use any flavoured yogurt, fresh cream or just plain yogurt too. For the final layer I chose to use melted chocolate, but you can opt for caramel sauce, dark chocolate gauche, melted white chocolate or even fresh fruits or nuts. There are so many ways you can mould this recipe as per your choice and preference.

Ingredients:

½ cup of crushed biscuits. I used lotus

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup flavoured yogurt. I used Biotiful Strawberry

4 Tablespoons melted chocolate

Method:

Melt the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds. When done add in crushed biscuits and mix well. You should have crumbly biscuits.

Take a glass in which you want to serve the trifle and start layering.

Add in around ¼ cup of crushed biscuits to the bottom of the glass and press well.

Beat the yogurt well so that it becomes creamy. Top the yogurt on the biscuits layer. Around ½ a cup.

Add on biscuits layer on the yogurt now. Around ¼ cup of it.

And then top it off with the remaining biscuit mix.

Finally add the melted chocolate on the top. Keep it in the fridge and serve cold.

Notes: 

The amount of ingredients you use is also dependent on the size of the glass you are serving.
I like my desserts to be rightly sweet, so if you like extra sweet then you might need to add some honey or sugar in the yogurt. I feel that biscuits and chocolate balances the overall sweetness well.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Biotiful Dairy  for sending products for review.