Masala Chai or Spiced Tea is the most popular drink in India. It is rich, creamy, sweet, spicy, and aromatic – A luscious drink perfectly blended with all flavors that relaxes your body and soul. And it comes together just in 15 minutes with only 7 ingredients in one pot.
What is Masala Chai?
Masala chai is an Indian beverage made by brewing black tea with aromatic spices and milk. It is also known as Chai Tea among non-natives. The key difference between Chai and Masala chai is that chai is simply tea and milk, while masala chai contains spices.
The word “Masala” means blend of spices and “Chai” means tea. Every household has their own recipe of Masala tea. The blend of spices, the variety of milk, the amount of water, and the kind of black tea each use decides the taste of Masala chai. The spice combination I am sharing in this recipe is our family favorite. But feel free to customize this recipe to your choice.
What to Use in Masala Chai?
Black Tea: For making Masala Tea, the preferred black tea options are loose tea leaves or bagged black tea. Loose tea leaves are available in market both in granular and powder form. The powder tea is also known as tea dust.
If using granular black tea, add 1 1/2 tsp of tea powder to make 1 cup of strong masala tea. As for tea dust, 1 tsp is enough to get the same result. Still the taste varies depending on each brands of tea. So adjust the quantities as required.
Black Tea Bags can make tea too strong or bitter if it boils too long, since it contains the same tea dust. When the water boils, add the tea bags and simmer it for couple of minutes. Once the water starts to smell like tea and changes color to an amber brown, remove the tea bags. Please note – Pour milk to the pot only after removing the tea bags. This way you will enjoy a perfect cup of masala chai without any change in its flavor.
In India there are three types of tea – Assam tea, Darjeeling tea and Nilgiri tea – which are named based on the three regions it grow. As someone who is from the South of India, I personally prefer the Nilgiri tea. It is good for making strong tea and tastes so good with the right amount of milk and spices.
But of course any strong black tea works for this recipe.
- Spices: The most common and basic spices used in Masala Tea are Green Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon and Ginger. Black Pepper corns, Nutmeg and Fennel Seeds are other optional spices. Each spices has its own unique flavor and health benefits. Adding or omitting spice blend is completely personal choice. In this recipe of Masala chai, I use the blend of green cardamom, black pepper corns and dried ginger. It is okay to substitute dried ginger with fresh ginger. You can crush the spices and add them to water and boil.
How to Make Masala Chai Powder? In to a mixer or blender jar, add 2 tsp of green cardamom, 1 inch dried ginger (omit if you are adding fresh ginger), 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds and 2 petals of star anise. Grind to a fine powder and store in an air tight container. For 2 servings of Masala chai boil 1/2 – 3/4 tsp of prepared masala chai powder with water, black tea powder and fresh ginger (if adding).
- Milk: Traditionally, whole fat milk is used in Masala chai. You can add your choice of milk. But what to take note is, the ratio and the type of milk used can alter our chai’s taste. Too much milk can make you chai tastes watery and can cause acidity.
Usually to make 2 cups of Masala chai, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of milk is used (ratio is 1:1). But for Whole Fat or Full Fat Milk, we have to add 1 1/2 cups of water for 1 cup of milk, since the milk is thick.
I have used low fat milk (1% or 2 % fat milk) in this recipe, so the ratio is 1:1.
For Non-Dairy Users, the perfect substitute is coconut milk. Fresh coconut milk tastes better. Canned coconut milk is also good to use. Other options are cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk and almond milk.
Some Non-Dairy milk like almond milk, soy milk and coconut milk can curdle while boiling. So choose milk that works best for cooking. Or you can gently warm or lightly heat the milk and add this to the masala tea decoction and enjoy.
- Sweetener: It is a personal choice. You can use unrefined sugars and sweeteners like cane sugar, palm sugar, honey, or maple syrup. Add sugar once the tea is off the heat.
Watch The Recipe Video of Masala Chai with Spicy Banana Video.
Check out the recipe for Spicy Banana Bread here.
More Snack Recipes to Enjoy With Masala Tea:
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Masala Chai or Spiced Tea
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water
- 4 – 5 pods Green Cardamom / Elachi
- ½ inch Dried Ginger
- ¼ tsp Black Peppercorns
- 3 tsp Sugar or as per taste
- 2½ tsp Black tea leaves
- 1 cup Milk
Instructions
- Take green cardamom, dried ginger and black pepper corns to a mortar and crush it using a pestle. (Refer Note : 1)
- To a medium sauce pan, add 1 cup of water and crushed spices. Bring this to a boil on high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add black tea leaves (Refer Notes : 2 – 4) to the simmering water and boil for 1 minute. Pour 1 cup milk (Refer Notes : 5 & 6) to the tea decoction and allow it to boil.
- Once it is boiled, turn the heat to low and steep for another 1 – 2 minutes. Turn off the heat (Refer Note : 7). Strain the masala tea to a steel mug/ cup. Add sugar/ sweetener and mix.
- Aerate the masala chai simply by pouring the hot chai back to the sauce pan from a height of 1 to 2 feet. Pour it back to the steel mug the same way and repeat the process a few times. This process of aerating the masala chai makes it more frothy, thick and tasty. (Optional step)
- Pour the masala chai to serving cups and enjoy with breakfast or snack.
Notes
- Add any of your favorite spices like cinnamon, cloves, and/or substitute dried ginger with fresh ginger. You can also make the masala chai spice blend beforehand. See the post on Masala Chai for more details.
- Preferred black tea options for masala chai is bagged or loose leaf – granular and powder form are also available. Refer blog post on Masala Chai for detailed information.
- Using too much tea leaves/ powder can make your tea bitter. For 1 cup of masala tea, 1 tsp of black tea leaves or powder will do. But it varies depending on each brands of tea. Adjust the quantities as required. It may take some trial and error.
- Tea bags can make the tea too strong or even bitter if it boils too long. So remove them before adding the milk.
- If using full fat milk, take 1 1/2 cups of water for 1 cup of milk. I have used low fat milk (1% or 2 % fat milk) in this recipe, so the ratio is 1:1.
- Best Non – diary milk option for Masala chai is coconut milk. Other substitutes are cashew milk and oat milk. Refer Masala Chai post for details on how to use non – diary milk for masala tea.
- Tea will tastes strong if you boil or steep it too long. Once you start to smell the sweet smell of tea, remove the masala chai from heat and strain immediately.
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