Here's my favourite recipe for Masala Chai, including a homemade spice blend. As the title suggests, I think it's very good.
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Drinks
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: chai, drinks, spice blends, tea
Servings: 150grams
Author: Sanjana
Equipment
Spice grinder or coffee grinder
Saucepan or milk pan
Tea strainer
Ingredients
For the chai masala (150g)
50gground ginger
50ggreen cardamom
30gblack peppercorns
15gground cinnamon
10grose petals
8gcloves
4gmace2 blades
2gnutmeg1/2 or 1 very small kernel
For two cups of masala chai
400mlwater
400mlmilk
3tsp10g strong black tea leaves(or 3 teabags)
1 1/4tspchai masala(recipe included in this card)
Sugar or sweetenerto taste
Instructions
To make the homemade chai masala
Add all of the spices, including the one that are already ground to the jar of a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Grind to a fine powder. Stop halfway to stir the spices and make sure everything is properly ground.
Sift the chai masala into a bowl to ensure there are no longer any large spice fragments left in there.
Pack the chai masala into a clean, dry airtight container. It will keep well for around 6 months. After this, it will begin to lose some of its' flavour and aroma.
To make two cups of masala chai
Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, milk pan or chai pan. Add the tea leaves or tea bags as well as the chai masala. Continue to boil for about 2 minutes.
Add the milk of your choice and stir well. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring often. Once the chai begins to foam up, you can turn the heat down a little but continue to boil it quite vigorously for about 10 minutes. Note: Do not leave the chai unattended as it boils. It has a tendency to froth up and overflow. Cleaning it up isn't so fun.
Once the chai has boiled for 10 minutes, remove it from the heat and strain into cups. Serve hot with your favourite biscuits or savoury snacks.
Video
Notes
This recipe makes approximately 150g chai masala.
If you don't want to make your own chai masala, feel free to use your favourite shop-bought one.
To customise this chai and make a ginger, tulsi, lemongrass, etc variety, see my suggestions in the post above.
Store your chai masala in a cool, dark place. After 6 months, it will begin to lose some flavour and aroma.