Masala chai (masala=spices and chai=tea) is India’s most popular drink which is a sweet, hot drink, with aromatic spices, sugar, black tea powder, and milk. Tea is relaxing, refreshing, and easy-to-make drink. It can be done in many different ways. You can buy loose tea powder from any Indian grocery store. Loose-leaf tea comes in either dust/powder or granular/pellet form. I usually mix dust and granular tea together to get a better taste as well as better color for my tea. For sweetness, sugar, jaggery, or other sweeteners are used. For spices, fresh ginger or dried ginger powder, cinnamon, cloves, basil leaves, lemon grass, mint leaves, or cardamom are used. Fresh ginger gives a better taste than dried ginger. On regular basis, I use only fresh ginger for my tea and avoid other spices.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 cup milk
- 1-inch ginger
- Small piece of cinnamon
- 2 cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 2 tsp sugar or sweetener
- 4 tsp black tea powder
Method 1:
- Ginger can be crushed or grated. Some people say that crushing gives better taste than grating.
- Take a pot, add 1.5 cups water and bring it to boil
- Add crushed ginger, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon to water and boil it for 2-3 minutes
- Add sugar/sweetener and tea powder to it and brew it for 1-2 minutes
- By this time, it should be reduced from 1.5 cups to 1 cup
- Lastly, add 1 cup of milk and turn off the stove after 1 minute
Method 2:
- Take a pot, add 1 cup of water
- Add grated ginger, sugar/sweetener, and tea powder to it and brew it for 2-3 minutes
- Lastly, add 1 cup of milk and turn off the stove after 1 minute
- Filter the tea into serving cups and serve hot.
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