Masala Chai (Masala Tea)

If you've never had your Chai 'cutting' style (or a strong, sweet coffee), chances are you weren't very loved by your Puneri friends. In all my days spent at Vaishali (which would probably be each day I was a student at Fergusson and most days after that) I never had the good fortune of having an entire cup of tea. Every time the waiter brought you your cup of tea, chances are that you'd have at least 2 empty glasses (one of them probably cracked) shoved right next to your cup. Just so you could 'cut' the chai by two. Chai never tastes as sweet in a styrofoam cup at Starbucks or even your own kitchen in New York City. Chai can only be enjoyed when one cup is divided into as many parts as there are people at the table. May there always be more people at your table than cups of Chai  

Ingredients: 

Per 1 cup of water
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp black CTC Indian tea (preferably orange pekoe)
1/2 inch cube of ginger (crushed)
4-5 cardamom seeds (crushed) or 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
1 clove
A small piece of cinnamon (or pinch of power)
Pinch of black pepper
3-4 pistils of saffron
1 piece of star anise per pot
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
Saffron
Milk 

Method: In a pot start boiling the water. Add ginger and all the dry spices to the water. When the water comes to a boil, add the sugar. Allow to boil till the sugar dissolves. After the sugar dissolves, add tea leaves and turn off immediately. Remove from the stove and cover with a lid. Allow the tea to steep for three minutes. Pour tea in a cup to 3/4 the cup. Add milk till it's the colour of He-man's skin. Add saffron and stir. Enjoy with Nice Time or Glucose-D biscuits.

Comments

Nupur said…
What a great post! Truly captures the spirit of a cup of chaha!
TheCooker said…
Vaishali-cha chaha!
Uttapa and the special-order hirvi chutney. Memories of Vaishali & Fergusson :)
A shared cup of tea is indeed the sweetest.
Anonymous said…
What a lovely post, chai truly is best when shared. Instead of sharing one cup though, why not make a big pan of chai so you can all have a glass? That's what I do, here are some pictures on my blog: http://mangosoup.blogspot.com/2009/08/masala-chai.html
Anonymous said…
Netter Beitrag
PranisKitchen said…
what a wonderful presentation..Sure have to make a cup of masla chai now itselt ...Good blog
Gaurav Saklani said…
Hey There i loved your Blog on Masala chai.
Benny Thomas said…
I am a huge fan of masala tea and I've tried many different recipes, but the one on your blog truly stands out. The detailed explanation of each ingredient and the step by step instructions made it easy for me to prepare at home. The aroma that filled my kitchen while brewing the tea was mouth-watering. The perfect blend of spices and the way you described the brewing process made my tea taste like a professional made it. I appreciate your efforts in sharing such a delicious and authentic recipe. I will definitely be making this tea again and again. Keep up the great work on your blog
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John Mathews said…
Thank you for the post. As a chai person it really helped me to try something new. You can buy kerala spices online to try out this perfect and healthy tea
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