Medicinal Birch Masala Chai

One of my newest mushroom creations.

Birch polypore is a medicinal mushroom. If you are interested in its medicinal properties, you have several great websites and articles for more details.

My dad had prostate cancer. That's why i got obsessed with medicinal mushrooms, trying to help him with anything i could. Back that time i was harvesting the mushrooms and dehydrating them, bringing them home and teaching dad how to make a tea with them that is good for cancer.

If anyone tried birch polypore tea before, its is a fact that the liquid is BITTER. BITTER IN A REALLY ONE-DIMENSIONAL WAY. No fun, no excitement, no different bitter tones, nothing similar to a coffee or chocolate bitterness. BORING BITTER that is not joy to drink - but my amazing Dad was following all my notes and kept drinking this tea everyday all day. Luckily, since then, he has been clear of cancer at this very moment. But i still surprised him with my very new creation of birch polypore masala chai tea that is much more delicious than the previous versions, and i still suggest him drinking it as it can keep health around.

INGREDIENTS:

• dehydrated birch polypore mushroom

• lightly roasted dandelion root chopped up into similar pieces like your birch

• grounded cardamom pods

• grated tonka beans

• agave syrup

• optional: dehydrated tasty mirin solids

Chop or blend up your mushroom to as small pieces as possible, and mix with all the rest apart from the agave syrup. When u have a nice mixture of all, add your agave syrup and mix everything again well. Try to cover all the solids with some of your syrup. Heat up your oven to 170 degrees-ish and start toasting your mix. Mix it very well every 15 minutes and repeat this till u see anice golden/amber colour and i see all the bits caramelised well. Done. Let it cool down and keep it in an airtight container.

When you prepare to drink, i find one big tablespoon enough for me personally, and i start to boil it up in a double amount of water, i want to drink at the end, as it will evaporate while you're boiling your chai, at least for 15 minutes, but better 20. Boiling it helps to get all the great medicinal compounds out, so you can enjoy it after. If u prefer this as a chocolate u can add some cacao powder at the very end of the boiling, so you won't ruin the health benefits of the cacao. Can also add a splash of milk, or feel free to try other spices in your mixture. You will still get some of its original bitterness BUTT in a so much more pleasant and multi-dimensional way.