Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes or so. That sounds absolutely delicious! The masala recipe makes a LOT of masala. Im sorry its not working! Cinnamon Ginger Cardamom Black pepper Nutmeg Cloves Fennel seed There are more unique spices that are used regionally, like bay leaves, mint, coriander, lemongrass, mace, saffron, star anise, and more. But it;s worth a try for delicious homemade chai! If I were you I will make a video of cooking chai and show how it is done along with the text you have on this page. I really appreciate it!! I could answer some of the questions, but will leave it to you. Thanks, this is the BEST way to show your support. I'm obsessed with chai too, how can anyone NOT be?! . That was very nice, just made some chai massala to your recipe and made a mug of tea as suggested I just used cheap tea we use here in the UK. My best guess would be to make a chai simple syrup: equal parts water and sugar, steeped with three to four times the tea leaves and spices for volume of water. My question is the use of dried versus ground spices. That sounds like a wonderful program! chai! I have a lemongrass ginger chai variation that does that. Obviously, that didn't work since masala chai still exists today thanks to the rebellious chaiwallahs that stuck to it. Chai masala, or tea masala, is a blend of fragrant Indian spices. I had numerous requests for volume measurements, so they may not be very accurate, hence getting more black pepper than you want. This is amazing. Water buffalo milk is actually cheaper compared to cow milk hence its widespread use. Your email address will not be published. Luckily I had all the spices in my food cupboard as I'm already a huge fan of Indian cuisine. Thanks! Some have said that the recipe is a bit spicy for them. raw honey. In your recipe it mentions 50 g of whole cardamom seeds is that 50 g of pods or 50 g of seeds? For some reason milk substitutes don't pick up the flavor of the tea quite as well as milk and water. The Best Masala Chai | Cup of Jo It won't be chai, but it'll probably still taste good! I read your post and I really appreciate your experience. I promise the spices aren't as scary as they sound. So it's essay time at school and I miss miss miss my little DOGGY BAG of your dad's chai masala! That being said, if you want a stronger cardamom flavor, use just the seeds. That was quite some work >< Just wondering, do you remove the cardamom husks? BATCH MAKING: You can make a big batch of the masala chai (without the milk) and refrigerate for up to 4 days, and heat up with the milk and sweetener when ready to serve. There's a saying that the food in India changes every 100km but if there's one thing that ties all Indians together - it's chai. It definitely will save you money in the long run! One way to reduce that is to cover the pot once it is done boiling and let it sit for about 10 mins. Required fields are marked *. Chai is like religion for many people in India. I like it spicy! Perfection. If so, thats actually from boiling the milk. Im thrilled to hear that you have enjoyed the chai so much! I love authentic traditional cooking from any culture, but am very partial to India. Some reputable websites are Penzeys and Patel Brothers. " and pouring steaming tea from a height (called "pulling" the chai), allowing it to cool a bit as it streams into little metal cups. Best Chai Masala Powder Recipe - Chai Spice Mix - Some Indian Girl Fortunately, we had everything we needed except the tea. I also add a pinch or two of Oregano leaves at the end which gives the chai a unique aroma. As someone who is sensitive to caffeine after about 2PM, I will often do herbal or decaf teas. This stuff is sure to make the chai tea lattes look so impotent. Can't wait to try it! Ive been reading a bunch of comments on other recipes that mention it. so pleased that you enjoyed the recipe! Dad usually makes a batch 3-4 times a year and that is about the perfect amount of time. Im so sorry about the glitch! Hi Ellie! Thanks for sharing about the coffee press! A hot cup of Masala Chai is an amazing way to soothe your senses and refresh your mind. Hi Suresh! The fourth component of Masala Chai is the sweetener. Authentic Indian Masala Chai (Spiced Milk Tea) - Masala and Chai You continually say simmer but in your video and others Ive seen, the Chai Wallah is boiling the heck out of the mixture. You likely understood my mis-wording but thought Id clarify to be sure. The last way is using whole spices. Great point! Delicious. CTC tea is granular in form and is produced by processing tea leaves through rollers to crush, tear and curl the tea. I made this and my daughter and I, who are real chai fanatics, just loved this! Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. I have never used lemongrassbut will now. Ooh! Masala Chai Recipe - Indian Spiced Tea by Archana's Kitchen Found yours and tried it and it is wonderful, best chai I have had, not that I am any expert. sugar, or your favorite sweetener, 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. Hi Zarif, that is a great idea! I usually make enough each day for 3-4 cups my daughter and I drink one or two hot then save one or two in the fridge for later. I used to buy Chai tea bags until they stopped selling them in the supermarket. When I found yours, I adjusted the ratio in my mix, added a ton of black pepper, more ginger, and a little more cinnamon and cardamom. Im so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and happy to hear that youve customized it to fit your preferences. Finally a friend of my wife gave us a recipe, and I started making it at home. I needed something simple and your recipe was the simplest. Once the water comes to a boil, add the tea leaves or tea bag. So this shaves-off valuable time! Thats the best part about doing it from scratch, full customization!! Strain the tea, sit back, and enjoy. I didnt see that in time and ground up the green seed pods. , Here is a video of my favorite Chai Wallah at work- in a small village in Rajasthan, India. @Rachel: I hope your friends and family enjoy it . This tea is often sold in two forms: CTC and dust tea. I'm a little intimidated by your spices. Strain and serve. Because of your nerdy science note, I added some alcohol to the mixture during steeping and later simmered the mixture long enough so there's not a trace of alcohol flavor. this is such a great chai tea, ive been searching for a recipe that would suit me, and found yours, and i am SO grateful :^D On another note, this was my first attempt at making the masala myself. The tea for masala chai is a variety known as mamri or little grain tea. I read your recipe, headed to Tesco's, bought the ingredients and had a go at making it myself. Repeat a few times until the chai is bubbly. Honestly, I would probably avoid mixing everything together. Hello! Grate inch piece of ginger directly into the pot of water. Ive tried masala chai at so many coffee shops and I have yet to find one I like half as much as your recipe. Also, I realized most people uses water buffalo milk too in India which also changes a texture. Check your email for details. This process of tea making is certainly way more nuanced than I had anticipated. Great aroma and flavor! This can be a very personal thing. I was wondering where you suggest buying the whole spices? Wats is the chai masala proportion for 1 cup tea.as I could not understand the proportion above. @Jill: Yay! The result was absolutely fantastic. I added a bit more cardamom to the spice mix as well as dried homemade orange and mandarine peels. But now it doesn't taste as spicy. Im so glad you discovered it on your own. I love the orange peel idea mentioned above. What a lovely way to end an Indian feast. HEllo like the recipe I made it with half the pepper and ginger and kept everything else the same however it's still too peppery for me any suggestions please as to how to rebalance? I adore you for keeping such a wonderful blog and amazing passion towards food.I'm a food lover and enjoy even trying various eating styles. Please let me know how it goes if you try it! I hope thats helpful, and feel free to get in touch with other questions. Mary. Masala chai pairs well with Paneer Aloo Samosas, Peanut Chaat, Samosa Chaat, and Indian-Style Tea Sandwiches. And this time I boiled it on the stove like you said thanks for the science note explaining why that's necessary. @Roopa: We should def get chai together soon! haha! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is truly fantastic, and I look forward to experimenting with it in the future . You can also make the tea part as strong as you like. I see 1/2 cup of milk 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of black peppercorns (160 grams), etc? Hopefully this issue gets resolved soon! This stuff is slammin! Keep posting Tea Masala | Spices & herbs. Its incredible! Enjoy! I think I will add more cinnamon to balance out the pepper punch. I sifted it all to remove lumps. One thing I have noticed is that the tea does not seem to steep as well in those milks. All i can taste is cloves, help! Is it okay to dry fry all the spices before grinding them? Chai Masala is a fragrant blend of whole spices, fennel seeds, dry ginger powder and rose petals. Thank you for this recipe. We tend to vary the recipe based on our mood (sometimes more ginger, sometimes more cardamom, etc) but cloves can overpower, so be careful with that. Does grinding up the pods effect or weaken the cardamom flavor? Have you made chai with star anise? Ceylon cinnamon is available but imported and 3x as expensive. This may be one of my new favorite snacks. If you dont like that extra sharp tea flavor, feel free to add the tea leaves later on. The tea used in chai is very crucial to the final flavor of the tea. I use the cardamons fully. Thanks for the nerdy science note. But, your question has inspired me to pursue this further, because I think a chai simple syrup would be delicious in so many things, so stay posted and Ill work on a recipe! Chai Wallahs- the street vendors who make masala chai, all have their own unique blend of chai spices as well- and as you can probably guess, I was obsessed with watching them make their creations. I have to ask where you got the kulhad you pour the chai into in the pictures, I love it and I want a set of them. @Amitbhai: This masala stays good for a pretty long time. only caution I would say is if you add lemon to a dairy product, it will curdle, so you may want to use zest instead. I loved this recipe, but the gram to cup conversions are off. Hi I just use a fine mesh strainer and have not had any issues with the spices being too strong. . Btw, also blogged about this so hope you don't mind me linking to your blog for the recipe. I have now made some individual "top secret" tweaks to your recipe to make the seriously best chai in the world, but I started with your base! Thanks so much for posting this. Sometimes I buy the ready mixed "Chai Masala" powder. I got hime and tried your website again and an entire bottom section opened that was never there earlier. Bring to a simmer, simmer gently for 5-10 minutes covered, and turn off the heat. The two mixed together is heavenly. Hi Amy, feel free to boil longer. You could try mace, star anise, adding more cinnamon or ginger, or even some Kashmiri chili! I thought I would have to get all whole spices and make a big ordeal of this. I only recently find out why it tastes different and tried to implement it at home. Lovely taste, especially enjoy the strong ginger flavor. Step 1 Bring ginger, cinnamon, and 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Any advice? There's nothing quite as comforting as the perfect cup of Indian Masala Chai whether it's in the middle of summer or for cozying up in the winter. If you don't anticipate using the chai masala frequently enough, make the big batch and then keep out only a quarter cup or so, and store the rest in the fridge/freezer. It doesnt allow any of the other flavors to come through. Chai Spiced Granola I was looking for it Let me know if you have other questions! Will absolutely have to give it a try (and report back!). Weve been drinking lots of chai and leaving just a little bit of dregs every time . What could be better? So in a nutshell, if you like a richer, thicker tea, use more milk (or even use all milk instead of the water) simmering the spices and tea, right in the milk. Sometimes people will boil just the milk, spices, and sugar together at a rolling boil for about 30 seconds to a minute and then add milk to taste. Best masala chai recipes from scratch The Tea Squirrel Ok interesting! yaaaaaaaaaaay!!! I made delicious chai for the first time since returning from India 1.5 years ago. Youre so kind! yeeeey, peppercorn is great, i have not had a nutmeg, and had to omit it, i added aniseed though ;p, didnt have dried ginger, but added chopped fresh (just to chai, not to masala lol) Any thoughts on that? Please read the text along with the recipeI address exactly your questions! I appreciated knowing about additional spices that could be used. I found this post almost 4 years ago after watching lots of Bollywood movies and wanting to make this drink I saw everyone drinking Ive made so much of this chai! For us, it's a perfect comforting warm drink during winter and monsoon. Strain and then ladle your chai into pre-warmed mugs. If youve already made a batch of the masala with pre-ground spices, stick with it, and when you make your next batch try using freshly ground ones and see how it goes! That was plenty of kick for me. Ill try your soy milk suggestion above . I've developed a great passion for tea, But isn't tea drunk for a purpose of enjoying its flavor and taste? Many thanks for sharing this interesting recipe ! Hi Im trying to do something similar and Im hoping you could be more specific. And there you have it, Masala Chai as they make it in India. Thanks so much for sharing. It tastes INCREDIBLE! Masala chai recipe | BBC Good Food The extra fresh ginger and turmeric roots add so much flavor/ kick. But don't worry, I'll post your favorite ukalo soon! Ive reached out to my plugin developer to see if they can solve the issue. The tea leaves and spices are boiled together for 6 to 8 minutes before adding the cup of milk. Both companies are huge on sustainable farming/fair trade and freshness. thanks again. What you want is green cardamom. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks! Ma'am, we don't care if you "discovered" chai during your two week trip to India and now want to "share" aka capitalize on it. Thank you for this, now it all makes sense! And Im glad that you are making it your own! To answer some of your questions, I personally have never made chai with star anise. I just tried it and the spice blend and ratios are good, but I made this with pre-ground spices and I can really feel that powdery sensation. If youd like to give it as I gift, I suggest making small jars of the chai masala, putting a little card in with the chai recipe (and a link to the blog, please! Its positively the best Ive tried! Assam tea is strong and robust in flavor and is the best choice for a milky tea like masala chai. Bring the water to a boil - about 1 minute. Thanks for sharing! Youve successfully signed up! I also didn't want to use whole spices because i didn't want to do that much work every time I made it. Im sorry for these issues. If you figure one out, please feel free to share! Hi Mary, you are supposed to use dried powdered ginger not fresh ginger.
