How To Make Indian Chai

Chai, also known as Masala Chai, is a very aromatic, comforting and traditional Indian drink. I, Ana, came to know this drink on a trip to India a few years ago and I liked it so much that, since then, every year when the cold weather arrives I like to prepare this drink at home. Besides bringing me strong and beautiful memories of India, Luís also enjoys this drink, so there is no way not to make it. At the end of this post also watch our video with the step by step instructions for making Chai.

The word Chai means "tea" in many Asian countries. In India, any time of the day is a good time to drink Chai. Even on the street you can easily find people selling this drink. Chai is not just tea. It is a mixture of tea with milk, sweetener, herbs and eastern spices. Both the ingredients and the way Chai is made vary greatly in each region of India. 

The recipe we are sharing in this post is just a suggestion, and you can change the recipe to your liking. Making this drink is a great opportunity to use herbs grown in the garden or to try new flavors.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 star anise
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder (See How To Make Ginger Powder)
• Fennel seeds to taste (See How to Harvest Fennel Seeds)
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 TBSP black tea leaves

Method

1. In a pan or kettle, add the water, cinnamon stick, cardamom powder, star anise, ginger powder and fennel seeds.
2. Stir and let boil for 10 minutes.
3. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a boil again. 
4. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to the minimum and let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat, add the black tea leaves, stir and let it infuse for 8 minutes.
6. Strain the liquid and drink immediately.

Our Special Tips

• The recipe can be altered to one's taste. Spices, sweetener and tea can all be different. A brief example: fennel seeds can be replaced with anise powder, black tea can be replaced with green tea, and sugar can be replaced with condensed milk. There is no fixed way to make Chai.

• Chai is excellent together with cookies or to simply drink it alone. We recommend having it together with anise cakes which are very aromatic as well.

• This drink is stimulating and can cause difficulty sleeping, so we don't recommend drinking it before bedtime.

And why not trying this recipe to use the herbs from your garden in a different way?

We hope you enjoy this recipe! Have a look at our video on our YouTube channel.

VIDEO - How To Make Indian Chai