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 first 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:
Masala Chai
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 gently 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
