masala chai (indian spiced tea)

Bonnie bonbon's Note:

this is a classic indian masala chai. i would venture to say half a billion people are drinking some version of this every morning. and for good reason -- it is super delicious!

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• 2 cups water
• 3 -5 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick , crushed
• 2 -3 cardamom pods , crushed
• ¼ cup sugar or ¼ cup sucanat
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons black tea leaves

Directions:

1. put the water on the stove and add spices, bring to boil.
2. cover and let simmer for few minutes.
3. add sugar or sucanat (whole ground sugar cane--like jaggery) and milk, stir.
4. bring back to just barely boiling (watch pot, milk will bubble over).
5. add tea leaves, cover pot, remove from heat.
6. steep for 5 minutes.
7. pour through filter to remove spices and tea leaves.

Reviews

[Azriel31]

Very tasty. I agree with other reviewers that it needs a dash more flavor, so I added more cloves and used honey to taste in place of sugar the second time I made this. Also, I added the milk at the end, since I feel the tea steeps better before the milk thickens the tea. Thanks.

[shangrilajewel]

I make a similar version given to me by my friend from India - only difference is that she adds a pinch of Fennel seeds and a crushed Bay Leaf. This adds another layer of delicious flavor. Great Recipe!

[cyaos]

This was a lovely chai that I will make again. I doubled the recipe but kept the milk the same for personal preference as we are not fans. I also only added 1/3 cup of sugar to the doubled recipe and still found it a touch too sweet - next time I think I will double the recipe and leave both the sugar and milk at the original levels. Thanks for posting! EDIT: I am updating this to 5 stars as this is the best chai recipe on 'zaar and I have tried a lot of them. The only thing I would change is adding peppercorns and ginger next time.