Masala Tea

- Submitted by Dahlia

(Masala Chai, Indian Chai Tea)

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Masala Chai is the local name for the world famous spiced tea from India also known as 'Chai Tea'. Most Indians start their day sipping a cup of hot tea with milk and a few aromatic spices. It just brightens up the day and makes them energetic. When I heard the americans refer to this as chai tea, I was quite surprised. The word Chai itself means tea in hindi. So chai tea means referring to it as 'tea tea'. Isn't it funny?

Well coming back to our Masala tea recipe, this is how I make it. I know that each house has their own version of making Masala Chai. Most people make a big batch of the 'Chai Masala Powder' and keep it handy. They just add a tsp of this prepared powdered whenever they make tea. I prefer to pound fresh spices each time I make. I enjoy the strong taste and aroma of the fresh spices with tea. So here I have shared the way I make my aromatic Masala Tea without the Chai Masala Powder.

Recipe for Masala Tea

Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients

• Milk - 1.5 cups
• Water - 1 cup
• Tea Leaves - 2 tsp 
• Ginger - 2 " pieces
• Cardamom - 3 pods
• Cinnamon - 2 pieces
• Cloves - 3
• Sugar - 2 tbsp

Optional Ingredients

• Peppercons - 4
• Tulsi Leaves - 4

Method

1. Crush the spices - Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves and the ginger using mortar and pestle. If you prefer add peppercons and tulsi leaves. I don't add them all the time.
2. Take all the ingredients with water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. 
3. Let the tea boil for 2 minutes for all the flavours of the spices to come in the water.
4. Add the milk and sugar as per taste. When it starts to boil over, reduce the flame.
5. Boil for couple of minutes on low flame. I prefer to remove the sauce pan off the heat and place it back. This way the tea will boil up and go down 2-3 times. This makes the tea very tasty.
6. After most of the froth on top is gone and you are satisfied with the colour of the tea, switch off. The extra half of water gets evaporated by now and you will be left with 2 cups of tea.
7. Strain into a big cup using a tea strainer. Pour the tea back and froth into another cup to create a froth. This makes it even more tastier.
8. Enjoy with biscuits.

Serving Masala Tea

• Masala Tea is had on a daily basis with biscuits (mostly Marie biscuits). 
• It also is a perfect match with all Indian snacks like Pakoras, Samosas etc.

Tips

• I use milk and water in 50:50 ratio. The quantity of water and milk can be increased or decreased as per your personal preference.
• Add more tea leaves depending on how strond you want your tea. Some brands of tea are lighter.
• Other spices that can be included in you tea are star anise, fennel seeds and nutmeg. I personally do not prefer to add these.
• I add white sugar. To make it healthier, you can use honey, jaggery or brown sugar.
• Instead of dairy milk, you can add almond milk or soy milk to make Vegan Masala Chai.

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