Masala Chai Recipe
Black tea boiled with milk, sugar and warm spices until strong and fragrant — sweet, milky and gently peppery.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Irish coffee mug
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Water120 ml
- Whole milk120 ml
- Strong black tea leaves (Assam)2 tsp
- Sugar2 tsp
- Fresh ginger, sliced3 piece
- Green cardamom pods, crushed4 piece
- Cloves2 piece
- Cinnamon stick1 piece
- Black peppercorns2 piece
How to Make It
- Crush the ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns lightly in a mortar.
- Bring the water and the crushed spices to the boil and simmer for two minutes.
- Add the tea leaves and boil for another minute, until the water turns deep red.
- Pour in the milk and the sugar and bring back to the boil, letting it rise and fall two or three times.
- Strain into a warmed mug and dust with ground cardamom.
Garnish
A pinch of ground cardamom
The Story
Boiling tea with milk, sugar and spices became an everyday habit across India in the twentieth century, as tea grown for export found a domestic market. Every chai wallah and every household keeps its own spice ratio.
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