Everyday Masala Chai
मसाला चाय
By Pooja H · 12 min · serves 2
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The chai you make without thinking about it, written down properly for once. The order matters more than the quantities: water and whole spices first so they have something to give, milk last so it never catches. Crushing the cardamom and ginger rather than powdering them keeps the flavour bright — powder goes muddy and sinks.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups water1½ cups water
- 1 cup whole milk1 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp loose black tea (Assam, or any strong CTC)2 tsp loose black tea (Assam, or any strong CTC)
- 4 green cardamom pods4 green cardamom pods
- 1 inch fresh ginger1 inch fresh ginger
- 1 small piece cinnamon bark1 small piece cinnamon bark
- 2 whole cloves2 whole cloves
- 2 tsp sugar, or to taste2 tsp sugar, or to taste
Method
- 1Crush the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon coarsely — a pestle or the flat of a knife is enough. Grate or smash the ginger. You want them broken open, not powdered.
- 2Bring the water, crushed spices and ginger to a boil in a small pan. Let it boil hard so the water takes on the spices and turns pale gold.3 min
- 3Add the tea leaves and boil for two minutes more. The liquid should go deep reddish-brown.2 min
- 4Pour in the milk and the sugar. Bring it back to a boil on medium heat, watching it — when it climbs the pan, pull it off the heat, let it settle, and return it. Do this twice.4 min
- 5Strain into glasses through a fine sieve and drink hot.
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Nutrition
Estimated, per serving.
- Calories
- 120
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 5 g
This recipe was written for the Zaika app
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