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Tea Experience: Indigo Age Cafe

Indigo Age Cafe
Vancouver, BC
Raw Vegan High Tea – $34 each

I went to Indigo Age Cafe for the first, and last, time back in late January. I had received a Groupon for the high tea for two for my birthday. Unfortunately, Indigo Age Cafe had closed the first of February this year, which is disappointing since it certainly looked like there were a lot of fans of this cafe both in person and online.

Indigo Age Cafe was located in Vancouver, BC and offered a very unique take on high tea by having a mostly raw vegan menu. The entire restaurant featured raw vegan and vegetarian foods, so it was really quite something to experience as it was literally like nothing I had experienced before – and nor do I think I’ll be able to experience again. The entrance was at street level, with some short steps to reach the entrance. The tables were wood slabs that featured the natural shape of the trees, which I thought was fascinating. The high tea was offered by reservation only.

The tea selection featured a few each of black tea, green tea, rooibos, herbal tisanes and yerba mate. I opted for a flavoured black tea, Wild Strawberry Cream (ingredients: India Ceylon, strawberry oil, cream aroma, rose petals – described as organic fair trade). My friend and I each received a tea-for-one set with our respective teas in it. I really enjoyed mine – it had a lovely strawberry flavour that wasn’t too coyingly sweet or artificial tasting.

The food arrived on a three-tier stand. No scones for this high tea set!

On the bottom, there was a waffle, a samosa, a cucumber wrap with a veggie slider patty, a spring roll in rice paper, and a mushroom cap with shredded carrots. A lot of avocado on this level, which was great because I love avocado as much as the next girl. My favourites were the cucumber wrap, although a bit messy to eat, and the samosa for having such brilliantly bright flavours.

On the second tier were stuffed cucumber and tomato. The ‘cheese’ used was cashew base and honestly if nobody told me that it wasn’t real cheese, I might not have believed them. The cucumber had some great dill notes, but wasn’t my favourite overall.

For desserts there was this lovely blueberry ‘cheese’ cake and a coconut cream panna cotta that was basically to die for. So light and airy, but so rich at the same time. I liked both desserts and thought that they were both really well done.

I found that Indigo Age Cafe definitely had a lighter feeling high tea menu set – I didn’t feel stuffed at the end of it, but I wasn’t hungry either. I think the lightness of the dessert certainly helped. The service was lovely and there was a lot of smart and creative culinary choices made with the menu. As someone who’s not vegan or vegetarian, it was all very pleasant and tasty.

I really did enjoy my visit to Indigo Age Cafe – and I’m really sad that I won’t be able to have a second visit. There were some really great decisions made with the menu that I enjoyed – from the avocado, to the little slider patty and that delicious panna cotta on top. As much more people strive towards a more plant-based diet, I do hope that more Vancouver-based tea salons opt to have a more vegetarian or vegan friendly menu set, even if it doesn’t involve all the avocado (which I wouldn’t say no to…).

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Masala Chai Chia Pudding

Chia seeds are pretty amazing. They’re a great source of protein, fats, thiamine, niacin, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc – almost other fantastic nutrients. Chia seeds have also been made popular by chia pets (I know you’ve seen those commericals!) and are a great way to thicken stuff up – I used them in my recipe Easy Chia Seed Jam.

This recipe utilizes that Chai Spice Mix featured last week in my recipe for a Masala Chai. I’ve been really into that spice blend recently because it’s just so good – and who doesn’t love a little cardamom in their food or drink? If you recall from last week, chai means tea… But there is no tea in this recipe, and I’m just rolling with it right now. It’s not the most attractive of desserts, but I genuinely don’t think any chia pudding looks that great unless it’s been prettied up – a lot.

Masala Chai Chia Pudding – Serves 4

⅓-¼ cups chia seeds – use less if you want a thinner pudding, but more if you want a thicker consistency
1 cup milk¹
2 tsp Chai Spice Mix
Agave syrup, fresh fruit, granola²

Chai Spice Mix
2 tbs ground cardamom
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs ground nutmeg
½-1 tbs ground ginger
½ tbs ground black pepper

¹ You can use any type of milk for this – dairy or dairy-free alternatives. I personally use an organic unsweetened non-GMO soy milk.
² Completely optional, but it’s nice for the sweetness!

Mix together milk and spices in a bowl (I use a whisk).
Add in agave syrup (if using this as an option).
Mix in chia seeds and mix until well incorporated.
Let it rest for about 5 minutes, the seeds will begin to settle.
Whisk again to suspend the chia seeds thoroughly throughout your mixture.
Put in an air-tight container into your fridge for a minimum of 1 hour to let it thicken up.
Keeps in the fridge for ~3 days.

To serve: spoon into small jars/glasses, top with fresh fruit or granola – or eat plain!

If you make Masala Chai Chia Pudding for yourself (and a friend), I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@onemoresteep #onemoresteep) or comment below with a link to the photo!

 

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Masala Chai

The first thing we’ll discussed about the recipe is name. Chai is the Indian word for tea – so when you ask for a “chai tea latte”, you’re really asking for a tea tea latte. Masala is the word for a blend of spices, or spiced. So when I say Masala Chai, I’m preferring to a spiced tea. Traditionally, a masala chai is made with black tea and there are so many varieties of spices that can be used in your masala chai – so here’s just one tea enthusiast’s take at making a Masala Chai at home. This recipe makes enough for you – one for you & one for someone special!

Masala Chai – Serves 2

2 cups water
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs Chai Spice Mix
2 tbs looseleaf black tea¹
1 cup milk²

Chai Spice Mix³
2 tbs ground cardamom
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs ground nutmeg
½-1 tbs ground ginger
½ tbs ground black pepper

¹ There’s no hard or fast rule to what type of black tea to use. I generally opt for a straight/traditional black tea, and I’ll give you internet bonus points for choosing a tea that’s from the Darjeeling or Assam regions of India.

² This isn’t a vegan/vegetarian recipe, but it’s pretty easy to make it into one. Simply opt for a dairy-free milk option. I go with an unsweetened organic soy milk option for my regular day-to-day life.

³ Ground spices are a lot easier for me, personally. I do substitute in green cardamom pods (just crush them before using). You can also opt for a cinnamon stick (half should do it). I always recommend freshly ground ginger if you can get your hands on it. And I always buy peppercorns and have them in a grinder to do it myself. The spice mixture is fairly similar to the one in my Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies, but I find lowering the amount of ground ginger makes it a bit more palatable for more people.

Prepare Chai Spiced Mix
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Store in an air-tight glass jar.
If using fresh ingredients, mix a small amount into a bowl.

Making the Masala Chai
In a small saucepan, heat your water and brown sugar together.
Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved, and allow it to come to a boil.
Add in Chai Spice Mix and black tea, allow to simmer.
Add milk, stir, and allow it to come to a second boil.
Remove from heat, strain when pouring into cups or teapot.

If you make Masala Chai for yourself (and a friend), I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@onemoresteep #onemoresteep) or comment below with a link to the photo!