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Welcome to the delicious journey of making the perfect cup of masala chai! In this how-to guide, we will delve into the rich tradition of crafting masala chai. From its history (See more on Origins and Early History) to its preparation (See more on Masala Chai Recipe) , masala chai is sure to entice you in many ways, providing not only a tasty beverage for you to enjoy but also an introduction to traditional Indian knowledge.. Whether you’re a tea aficionado or a novice in the kitchen, this guide is designed to introduce the ancient art of masala chai into your homes.
This manual is designed with the beginner in mind, someone who is interested in the rich flavor profile of masala chai but doesn’t quite know where to start with the process. Whether you’re an exhausted college student in need of a caffeine boost, a working professional seeking an easy but tasty break from the daily grind, or simply someone who enjoys the rich flavor profile of tea and spices, this guide is tailored for you. No prior experience is necessary—just a willingness to keep an open mind and an open heart for a new flavorful adventure.
Why would anyone want to make masala chai? Masala chai isn’t just a really delicious Indian beverage; it also comes from a rich tradition that is continually evolving to this day. The go-to beverage in the Indian subcontinent is chai, and despite the subcontinent being huge and spanning multiple countries, masala chai uses ingredients that are standard in every South Asian household, unifying the subcontinent together. Not only does it act as a unifying cultural practice, but it also offers health benefits that can truly make it a healing beverage amidst our daily busy lives. This manual aims to motivate you not just to make chai but to indulge in an ancient practice that is rich in history,
Before we begin, we must all be on the same page about the term “Chai tea.” The term is quite redundant, to say the least. Chai means tea in Hindi, so the term Chai tea equates to “tea tea.” If you say Chai tea in front of a South Asian, they will either burst out laughing, or more likely, they will go on a rage-induced tangent about how foolish the term is. Honestly, with Western packaging always naming chai-flavored food as “Chai tea” or “Chai latte” flavored, I don’t blame the average person for using the term mistakenly. The West has an unfortunate history of terming culturally different things with redundant names, e.g., Sahara Desert = desert desert, Naan bread = bread bread… etc. However, now that you have been officially educated on the term, please use the word Chai singularly unless you want to give the average South Asian high blood pressure.
The origins of masala chai date back to around 5000 years, where legend has it that Indian emperors brewed a drink with a multitude of spices to stay alert during courtly affairs. This original concoction was caffeine-free and rooted in Ayurvedic tradition. It wasn’t until 1835 that the British introduced black tea leaves to India.
During the 1830s, England had a substantial tea habit, mostly satisfied by various types of tea leaves imported from China. However, upon discovering that black tea leaves were growing in Assam, a state in India, the British decided to to capitalize and exploit this newfound source. By 1900, 90% of British tea came from British India and Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), rather than China.
During this time, tea production in British India was high, but it was scarcely consumed by the local Indians. To turn a profit, the British-owned India Tea Association began advertising tea as a caffeinated beverage that would both relax and energize the common Indian worker.
However, the price of tea remained too high for the general public. To make it more affordable, tea vendors used leftover tea leaves, brewing them with the ingredients used in the Ayurvedic spiced drink they were familiar with, and sold this potent concoction at a lower cost.
In the 1960s, new technology increased tea production rates. This mechanization led to a drop in tea prices, and soon tea vendors were found across the country and at different railway stations, providing chai to local Indians and tired travelers seeking a break from their adventures.
Eventually, Masala Chai became a staple Indian drink, with each region adding its own customizations to the beverage1 .
Today, while the preparation of chai might vary from household to household, the base flavors remain the same, and these base flavors will be the focus of the manual.
Endnotes
1 (See The History Of Masala Chai)
Chapter 2
Before we start making chai, there are a few tools we need beforehand. In India, a medium-sized pot made out of steel called a ‘kadai’ is generally used when making chai.
However, any type of pot can be used when making chai; just make sure that it is big enough to hold all the ingredients and that the pot makes it easy for you to pour chai into whatever container you want.
I suggest, for beginners, that they use a small to medium-sized non-stick pot because when milk is boiled, it tends to leave a residue at the bottom of the pot that is hard to wash off.
Pro tip: To wash the bottom of the pot, soak the pot in extremely hot water for 30 seconds to a minute, and then take a sponge and start scrubbing away. Hot water will help unstick the residue from the pot.
Other than the pot, you will need a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together. A wooden spoon is preferred because it will not become hot to the touch from the heat of the chai, and it is also long enough to place over the pot (as the spoon will prevent the mixture from boiling and spilling over onto the stove).
Finally, you will need a strainer to separate the spices from the served chai and a heat-safe mug to pour the chai into.
The base of chai consists of milk and water. You can adjust the ratio of milk to water, but for the purpose of this guide, we will use a ratio of 1:1.
Since Masala Chai has its roots in Ayurveda, many of its ingredients can offer a multitude of health benefits1 .
Note: Please consult a doctor for any health issues. This ingredient list is meant to share some of the positive properties of these ingredients, but these alone cannot cure serious health issues.
Black tea, which can lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Endnotes
Bay leaves can help prevent kidney stones
1 See Petre, How chai tea can improve your health
Cinnamon, which can be beneficial in lowering cholesterol.
Ginger, which can help lower blood sugar and reduce nausea.
Cardamom and cloves, both of which have antibacterial properties that can prevent digestive issues.
For this recipe, I will be using whole spices. Whole spices are generally more flavorful than pre-blended spices.
When you blend spices, the resulting powder is potent only when used right away for whatever recipe it calls for. After a while, the powder loses its freshness, resulting in a more dull and muted flavor profile.
Moreover, whole spices are much easier to strain than powdered spices, which tend to clog the strain and prevent the chai from straining effortlessly. Even when the chai is strained, some of the powdered spices can still linger in the drink, making the chai taste chalky.
Hence, I would recommend whole spices for their easy use and flavorful effects.
Generally speaking, black tea is used to make masala chai. There are many variations of black tea, but the one commonly used for masala chai is Assam black tea, which comes from Assam, India. If you’re lucky enough to find Assam black tea in your local grocery store, then I would definitely recommend buying it. However, if you aren’t so lucky, then your basic black tea will do. Assam black tea can enhance the flavor of your masala chai, but since masala chai already contains quite a few spices, you will definitely not miss out on flavor if you can’t use Assam black tea.
If you’re not sure of what type of black tea to get, here are some recommendations:
Note: If loose black tea is the only option available to you, you can definitely use it! But for simplicity’s sake, we will be sticking to tea bags. They’re easier to fish out of your chai to dispose of, as opposed to loose black tea, which can get a bit messy when you have to strain it out.
Now you might be thinking that this would be all so simple if you could just buy the pre-made “masala chai tea” bags found at the grocery store.
I understand that people are busy and just want to indulge in a drink without the hassle of making it. However, the problem lies in the flavor profile, which will be much less palatable. The spices used in the tea bags are pre-ground, which means the majority of their flavor has been released a long time ago. There also include a lot of artificial flavor enhancers, which are a lot less healthy than natural ingredients, and there is a limited amount of tea bags in each box. You end up paying more for each tea bag compared to if you just buy all the relatively inexpensive ingredients; you’ll have a much longer (and fresher) supply of masala chai. Hence, for a truer, more delicious experience, I would stick to making masala chai by hand.
This is an easy to follow Masal Chai recipe. Here we use the basic ingredients found in most chai recipes. This recipe is beginner friendly and is customizable for those who are a bit more adventurous. Either way, this delicious drink is sure to warm you soul.
1. ¾ cup of water
2. ¾ cup of milk
3. 4 whole cardamom pods,
4. 1thin slice of ginger
5. 4 whole cloves
6. 3 teaspoons of black pepper.
7. 1 whole stick of cinnamon
8. 1-2 tea bags
9. 2 teaspoons of sugar (Optional)
Note: use a jar or a tomato sauce can to break open cardamom pods. This will release the actual spices inside the pod.
1.Heat the stove to medium-low heat
2.Add water and milk mixture into the pot, and wait until it boils
Make sure to keep an eye on the stove so the mixture doesn’t boil over the pot
Place wooden spoon over pot to prevent over-boiling the mixture.
3.Reduce heat to a simmer, add spices and tea bags into the mixture
4.Let everything mix for an additional 5 minutes
5.Turn off the heat, strain the masala chai into a heat-safe mug
Masala Chai is consumed regularly by most South Asians. Whether you want to wake up in the morning, get a boost mid-afternoon, or even use it as a sleeping aid.
Note: Despite its caffeine content, masala chai’s calming properties genuinely tend to make some people sleepy. However, I recommend you drink chai during the day to see what kind of effects it has on your body before you drink it at night.
Some people drink it after dinner to aid digestion, some drink it mid-afternoon along with a snack, some prepare it on rainy days, some prepare it on holidays—you will definitely find it at wedding functions…you get the point. Masala chai can be consumed at all times, giving you plenty of opportunities to indulge in this tasty treat.
To serve Masala chai to guests, one would usually pour the chai into small cups, serve it on a tray, and lay it out on a table with a separate container filled with sugar for those who like their masala chai sweetened. Various snacks and treats can also be served with chai. Some side pairings I would recommend are:
Biscuits and cookies
Samosas
Pakoras
Fruit
Indian sweets like gulab jamoon, jalebi or barfi
Cake
There you have it; you officially know how to make masala chai! You can respectfully indulge in a long-standing South Asian tradition and truly appreciate the flavors, the culture, and both the mental and physical benefits. I implore you to go forth and indulge in chai whenever the moment calls for it. You will never regret it, and it will always make your day a little better.
Petre, Alina. “How Chai Tea Can Improve Your Health.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 13 July 2023, www.healthline.com/nutrition /chai-tea.
“The History Of Masala Chai: From India To The World.” Amala Chai, https://amalachai.com/en-ca/blogs/chai-blog/history-of-masalachai.
How to Make Masala Chai I
A
aficionado 4
Assam black tea 15
Ayurvedic 7
B barfi 22
Bay leaves 11
Black pepper 11
Black tea 11
C Cardamom 12
Cinnamon 12 cloves 12
G Ginger 12 gulab jamoon 22
J jalebi 22
K kadai 10
L Lipton 15 loose black tea 16
M masala chai 4 mechanization 8
N
II
novice 4
P
Pakoras 22
R
Red Label 15
S
Salada 15
Samosas 22 strainer 10
T
Tetley 15
V
vendors 8
W
whole spices 13
How to make Masala Chai
A
aficionado 3; a person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a subject. Ayurvedic 6; the traditional Hindu system of medicine.
B
barfi 21; a milk-based sweet from the Indian subcontinent with a fudge-like consistency.
Bay leaves 10; aromatic leaf commonly used as a herb in cooking.
Black pepper 10; a dried plant used as a spice and seasoning.
Black tea 10; a type of caffeinated tea.
C
Cardamom 11; a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae.
Cinnamon 11; is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum.
cloves 11; comes from the aromatic flower buds of a tree.
G
Ginger 11; a flowering plant whose rhizome is widely used as a spice. gulab jamoon 21; a sweet confectionary or dessert, originating in the Indian subcontinent
J
jalebi 21; a popular deep fried sugary snack from South Asia.
K
kadai 9; a traditional type of circular panused in South Asia.
M
masala chai 3; translates to spicy tea, originates in South Asia. mechanization 7; the introduction of automatic devices into a process, activity, or place.
N
novice 3; a person new to or inexperienced in a field or situation.
P
Pakoras 21; a fritter originating from the Indian subcontinent
S
Samosas 21; a fried South Asian pastry with a savoury filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, meat, or fish.
V
vendors 7; a person or company offering something for sale, especially a trader in the street.
How to Make Masala Chai
