Oriental Spice and Some Hot Chocolate!

Source: flickr.com

From time to time I feel the need to take my blog title seriously. Today is one of those days.

A few weeks ago I watched the movie Chocolat. Great movie by the way, with a lot of that delicious chocolate (J. Depp included). But…there was something in the movie that I just had to try: Spicy hot chocolate! I must say…it tasted delicious.

So, DO try this at home!

All you need is:

– Enough milk to fill one or two cups
– a pinch of chili powder (If you’re going for the real deal: you can also use one fresh red chili which you warm with the milk)
– a pinch of vanilla
– 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (powder)
– 50g of dark chocolate or 50g of cocoa powder 

Optional: 
– sugar
– whipped cream

Method 1: I want-this-to-be-ready-in-3-minutes
Add the chili powder, vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa powder in your cup. Heat the milk in the microwave. Pour a little bit of milk in your cup to mix the chili powder, vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Mix it until it becomes a smooth substance. Now pour the rest of the milk in your cup and you’re done!
You can add sugar to your own taste. If you’re really in the mood to spoil yourself (or someone else) add some whipped cream!

Method 2: I-can-wait-a-little-longer / I-want-more-spice
Take a red chili and make 2 incisions, without exposing the seeds. (Or cut a red chili in half and remove the seeds. Use one half). Put the chili with the milk and other spices into a pan and heat it for about 5 minutes. Melt the dark chocolate in your microwave. Remove the chili and add the melted chocolate to the milk in the pan. Heat the milk again for another 5-10 minutes. When the milk thickens, your hot chocolate is ready!
Once again the sugar and whipped cream are optional.

And there you have it: a little bit of Oriental Spice and Some Chocolate in your own home…Enjoy!