5 ms·
Generally I make it for 2-3 people. The following is for one cup. Ingredients: 1 cup Whole Milk 2-3 Cardamom Seeds 1 Cinnamon (Add a small bark, nail length)
by syntr0pic 9y ago
Generally I make it for 2-3 people. The following is for one cup.
Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Milk
2-3 Cardamom Seeds
1 Cinnamon (Add a small bark, nail length)
Raw sugar
Breakfast Black Tea (Preferably loose)
Suggested Brands:
Mumtaz Tea (Loose Black Tea) - Available at Amazon
1. Crush cardamom seeds and cinnamon, preferably with coffee/spice grinder, do not use the powder form, lightly break apart the seeds and bark, a few taps should suffice.
2. Place 1 cup of whole milk and spices into a small pot, simmer milk.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of tea. Note that this measurement may be different depending on brand. If you added too much, you can balance it out by adding more milk.
4. Add raw sugar, start with single teaspoon, add more as necessary
5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, milk will slow turn khaki, once you start seeing microbubbles, tea is almost ready.
6. Use a tea strainer or sieve
Minor note: Many South Asians will add a thin slice of ginger while the milk is simmering. Traditionally served with rusk.
- zzalpha 9y agoFor folks who want to try this out, other suggestions for things to try in your chai masala include black pepper, clove, and/or star anise
- eponeponepon 9y agoI'd say black pepper is essential - it gives a little bite at the back of the mouth that complements the ginger (also essential! :) ) perfectly. You only want two or three peppercorns though. Star anise is a great occasional addition, but I wouldn't want it every time.
- nerdy 9y agoWholeheartedly agree. Black pepper is a seemingly strange, but necessary addition. It fills a small gap in the flavor profile between the tea and the spices. My preferred ingredients are cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves, and a very small amount of nutmeg. I like to add 1 part honey for every 2 parts sugar. It's tough to get the perfect ingredient ratio without making large batches or using a scale. Whole milk (or cream) is important for the fat content. In general my chai does not come out as dark as the chai I had in the Pune region, but does have a remarkably similar taste. As I understand it they sometimes make the base the day before. The color difference could be because of my preparation haste, shorter brew time, different ingredients, or adding too much milk/cream. The chai in India also has a different mouthfeel. I'm not sure if it's loose spices in the brew or if they add something but it feels almost like pulverized rice in the tea.
- selimthegrim 9y agoI personally am fond of the 'Wagh Bakri' brand of masala chai. I'll add candied ginger after milk and the microwave because I'm lazy and don't want to oversugar it.
- parthdesai 9y ago+1 Wagh Bakri. Reminds me of my mom's tea.
- nindalf 9y agoThese instructions seemed a little strange to me, until I later read the article and found out why. > tea using a technique that is unique to the state of Tamil Nadu — frothy milk is pulled with sugar and then combined with black tea that has been brewed separately. I'm used to this one, and I thought it was the only way until today.
- rahilb 9y agoI like to add a couple strands of saffron towards the end of brewing time, also I use half whole milk half water and brew the tea in bags in the milk water mix.