Chai is what tea is known as in the Indian sub continent. There are numerous varieties of teas that are brewed in each household and masala chai or the spiced tea is the most famous of them all.
A couple of years ago I got a pack of Chai masala from a store and in my haste to hurry home forgot to check the expiry date.Just as I was emptying the contents into a container ,I noticed that the product was long ‘dead’.I just threw it and prepared my own mix.
What you see here is my version of spice mix but you can play around with the quantity of ingredients till you get a brew of your liking.
You need:
Cinnamon – 5 “ piece
Cardamom- 3 pods
Dried ginger powder – 1 ½ teaspoons
Peppercorns-5
Cloves-2
1. Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods.
2. In a pan roast all the ingredients except ginger powder.
3. Cool and powder finely.
4. Mix in the ginger powder.
5. Sieve and store in an air tight container.
What you will get is a small quantity of chai spice mix.Store in an airtight container and the fragrance will last long. It is usually better to prepare them in small batches than in bulk.
The spices can be ground as such but I prefer to roast it first.
You can also try adding dried tulsi [holy basil] leaves / star anise and other spices. Increase or decrease the spices to your liking.
Happy cooking…
I'm bad at making tea and coffee and always wonder how people make such good masala chai's… now I know the secret ingredients 🙂