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Masala Chai

Seeing I am on a roll this week I may as well post my recipe for Masala Chai. I have been in the mood to roast and grind spices, must be the cold weather.

I have never been to India so I cannot tell you exactly what an authentic masala chai should taste like. However, I have tried enough right here in SA to know exactly how I like it.

The reason I have never been or don’t know if I ever will go to India is because I am terribly claustrophobic. My hubby has been to India a few times and he absolutely loves it.

Me, I am not so sure I will survive that long flight to India. The furthest I have been is Mauritius.

Although I did well on that flight it would take some convincing to get me on a long flight. However, I’ve had loads of firsts of late so you never know what could happen next…haha!

What is Masala Chai?

It is a popular tea in India, with a blend of whole spices and milk.  You can add your favorite teabags or loose tea leaves to it and use milk only or add some water. I think it definitely needs some sugar and that can be adjusted accordingly

What spices go into a Masala Chai?

Everybody’s preference is different. It is all about customizing the tea to your taste. You can add cinnamon, star aniseed, cloves, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, black peppercorns.

I personally prefer a stronger cinnamon taste so I prefer more cinnamon. You can play around with the different spices until you get to a flavor that suits your taste.

How to make Masala Chai

I crush my spices a little, add it to a pot with a cup of water and allow it to gently simmer. This is where all the flavors infuse.

Whilst simmering I add my tea into the pot with my milk and allow it to come to a gentle boil.  I then add sugar, strain and serve

A little extra

What I do as an extra is also roast and grind more spices separately. When I serve my tea I froth some milk and sprinkle more of the spice on top.

It is absolutely heavenly, I could drink this Masala Chai all day.

The spice that I make is a very small quantity which can last for a few cups of tea. However, you can double the recipe and store it in an airtight container.

More Drinks you can try:

Mango Lassi Recipe

Turmeric Golden Milk

Masala Chai

Masala Chai is a popular Indian beverage in India, made using whole spices, milk and sugar
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 7 cardamom pods slightly crushed
  • 3 pieces cinnamon stick about 5cm each
  • 2 tsp chopped ginger
  • 2 star aniseed
  • 4 cloves
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 2 tea bags
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup full cream milk
  • 1&1/2 tbsp sugar

Ground Masala

  • 10 cardamom pods
  • 2 pieces cinnamon sticks about 5cm each
  • 2 star aniseed
  • 5 cloves

Instructions
 

  • For the tea, place all the spices, except the ginger, in a pestle and mortar and crush them slightly
  • Place the spices and the ginger in a saucepan. Add a cup of water and allow it to simmer gently on a low heat
  • Once the water heats up add the tea bags and simmer until the water changes to a dark brown
  • Add the milk and bring to a gentle boil
  • Add the sugar and mix well. Sugar can be adjusted according to your preference
  • Strain the tea into 2 cups. Froth some milk if your prefer and scoop it on top. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of the ground masala on top and serve

Ground Masala

  • Roast the spices on a low heat. Allow it to cool. Place it in coffee grinder and grind to a smooth powder
  • Sprinkle this on top of the Masala tea. You can add less or more according to your preference
  • Store any remaining spice in an airtight container

Notes

  1. If you prefer a stronger tea you can add an extra tea-bag. If you prefer you can also use loose tea leaves instead of tea bags.
  2. The sprinkle of spice on top of the chai is totally optional.
  3. Apparently the milk in India is much creamier than what we have here in SA, so if you wish you can add half milk and half fresh cream. 
Keyword chai, indian drink, indian tea, masala chai, spicy tea
Tried this recipe?Mention @tamarindnthyme

 

 

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