Masala Chai | Masala Tea

Masala Chai is an Indian spiced tea made with whole spices, tea powder and milk. Masala Chai also known as Masala Tea is perfect for a winter evening as it is so comforting. It takes just 10 mins to make fragrant and aromatic Masala Chai. Learn to make perfect Masala Chai with step by step pictures and video.

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Masala Chai is one of the popular and favorite beverages in India. Many of us enjoy tea after breakfast in the morning and in the evening and this Masala Chai is very soothing especially in the winter. I am not a tea addict but still enjoy having masala chai anyday.

About Masala Chai

Masala means spices and Chai in Hindi translates to tea. So Masala Chai is basically a spiced tea. Masala Chai is an Indian beverage made with whole spices as main ingredients and is packed with strong flavor. The whole spices include cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom etc.

Traditionally masala tea was made using loose tea leaves but nowadays mostly they use processed tea powder which is easily available. The taste of masala chai also depends on the tea powder used.

Tea is one of the most common beverage had in most of Indian homes. Each family have their own version of making tea according to their personal choice of ingredients and measures. Tea is considered to keep our body warm so may be that is the reason its popular in most of chill locations. However many people in India have tea throughout the year.

This Masala Chai is full of flavor perfect for this chill weather. I usually make Masala Chai during winters when I feel like having spiced hot tea. Hubby loves all tea varieties so make for him too. Tea has become an integral part of many households and ours is no exception, I have tea once during evenings which is very refreshing to run between chores and the kids.

Masala Chai can be made using a different combination of flavors but I have given the recipe with the basic spices used. You can make Masala Chai in 2 methods : one from the scratch by adding fresh ingredients and other by using prepared masala tea powder.

Masala Chai Video

Types of Tea

Basically there are 2 varieties of processed tea available in the market Tea dust and CTC. CTC tea is produced as a result of processing tea leaves through cylindrical rollers to crush, tear and curl up so it is mostly in granular form. CTC teas gives a rich red-brown color when they are boiled, the processing of this tea is entirely different from the tea dust.

Tea Dust is another kind of processed tea which is in powdered form this is the one widely available in supermarkets. This is the most commonly tea variety found in India.

In India tea is widely grown in Nilgiris, Assam and Darjeeling. Each tea variety differs from taste and flavor. Whenever we visit Ooty, I always buy huge packs of tea as it is very fresh and aromatic.

Masala Chai Ingredients

• Milk : Use fresh thick milk for making tea. As we add water while making tea, milk should be thick.
• Tea powder : You can use any tea powder you like. I use a mix of tea powders to achieve a more unique fragrant flavor.
• Spices : Cinnamon, cloves, ginger and cardamom are added here.
• Sweetener : If you like your tea without sugar you can skip it. If adding you can either add white sugar or brown sugar as per your choice.

More tea recipes

• Mint tea
• Ginger cardamom tea
• Ginger lemon tea
• Chocolate tea
• Green tea
• Sulaimani tea

How to make Masala Chai Step by Step

Preparing Spices

1. To a hand mortar and pestle add a small ginger piece. Peel the skin from ginger, rinse and then add it.

2.Crush it well.

3.Transfer crushed ginger to a small bowl.

4.Add cardamom pods.

5.Crush it roughly.

6.Transfer it to the same bowl and set aside. If you prefer you can add ginger, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to the mortar and pestle and crush it roughly together.

Boiling spices

7.Add water to a sauce pan.

8.Add crushed ginger and cardamom to it.

9.Add cinnamon.

10.Add a clove to it.

Make tea decoction

11.Add tea powder to it.

12.Give a quick mix.

13.Let it boil, simmer until it reduces to almost half. Boiling well is the key to get a perfect tasting masala chai so let it simmer until its almost half.

Adding milk and sugar

14.Add milk to it.

15.Add sugar. You can add white sugar or brown sugar or cane sugar as per your preference.

16.Give a quick mix.

Boiling

17.Simmer until it comes to a rolling boil.

18.Give a quick mix.

19.Simmer for 2 mins.

20. Switch off.

Straining

21.Strain using a metal strainer.

22.Discard the remains.

Masala Chai ready for serving

23.Masala Chai ready!

Frothing and Serving

24.Froth by pouring to another cup and serve hot!

Serve hot masala chai with biscuits!

Expert Tips

• Let the decoction be thick to get thick masala chai.
• If you want your tea to be a little thin then reduce milk to 1/2 cup.
• Use freshly crushed ginger, cardamom for more flavor.
• Add milk only after the tea decoction is boiled well.
• Usually I use cane sugar / brown sugar for tea , coffee but you can use replace it with regular white sugar too.
• Serve masala chai piping hot to enjoy the full flavors.

Variations

• For vegan option skip milk and replace it with almond milk or soya milk or cashew milk.
• Furthermore add more spices like fennel seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, star anise etc.
• For winter season in addition you can even add tulsi leaves to this tea. It gives a soothing feel also prevents from catching cold often.
• The tea powder brand too makes a difference. Use assam tea powder for best results.

Serving & Storing

• Serve masala chai with any snack especially any deep fried crispy snack such as pakoda, vada would be apt with ginger tea.
• Plain marie biscuits with tea is a match made in heaven.
• I wouldn’t recommend storing tea and serving so always make it fresh and serve. If you want to take it for travel, you can make masala chai pour in a flask and it keeps well for about 5-6 hours.

FAQS

1.What is Masala Chai made of? How is it made?

Masala Chai is made by simmering water along with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. First a thick decoction is made by simmering all of this then milk is added and let to boil. Once a rolling boil comes give a quick mix, simmer for 2 mins then strain. Hot Masala Chai is ready to be served!

2.How does Masala Chai taste?

Masala Chai tastes more like regular tea with a aromatic flavor from ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Masala Chai is perfect for winters as its so comforting.

3.Can I make Masala Chai without milk?

Masala Chai is usually had with milk but if you prefer you can make it without milk too. You can check here for no milk version.

4.Can I crush all the spices together?

Yes you can add ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves all together to a mortar and pestle crush it roughly and use it.

5.When can I have Masala Chai?

You can have it in the morning after breakfast or in the evening. I love it in the evenings after my nap.

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