Classic Indian masala chai
We spent a month doing yoga in rishikesh, in the north of India, and every day in our lunch break we went to the Mango Garden for a masala chai – here’s a recipe for the most standard, classic recipe, with a few variations 🙂
This is more typical of the chai they serve in the north of india, in Rajasthan and uttarakhand. Typically chai will have one predominant flavour, such as cardamon or cinnamon, and less commonly a mix of spices.
Classic masala chai
Stock standard – this is the base recipe from which any number of variations can be made.
Ingredients
- 1 Cm Fresh ginger per cup
- Black pepper
- Full cream milk
- Water
- Black tea kernels Traditionally CTC tea is used, which looks like tiny balls of tea. If using whole leaf tea, you’ll need about double the amount.
Instructions
- For 4 cups: Mash the fresh ginger with a mortar and pestle. Bring 3 cups of water with the ginger to the boil in a small pot or saucepan, and boil for a minute.
- Add one slightly heaped tablespoon of black tea and one cup of milk, and boil until it changes colour to light brown – about a minute or 2. Use a ladle to scoop tea and pour it back into the saucepan, this pouring agitates the tea, slightly lowers the temperature and stops the milk from boiling over or burning on.
- Add a pinch of black pepper, and pour through a sieve into cups. If you want to make more or less, just remember the above ratios.
- Variations include throwing in a cinnamon stick near the beginning with the ginger, adding cardamon, cloves, Chilli, vanilla or anything else really.
