Masala Chai

My recent adventures into Indian cooking led me to a chai recipe.  Plus, I had bought more green cardamom pods than I needed for the palak paneer.

The first result of my research was a language lesson.  Chai means tea.  Saying "Chai Tea" is like saying "La Brea Tar Pits".  Bit of redundancy.  What a person really means is "Masala Chai", or "Spiced Tea".

I also learned that, like any recipe based on a spice mix, the ingredients are a personal choice.  The majority are what one would consider sweet spices, but there are hints of savory and "spicy" in there too.  Kind of like putting cayenne in Mexican hot chocolate.  I admit that I'm sticking closer to the sweet spice side, but I'm also not putting in as much sugar as most of the recipes.  I couldn't find star anise and didn't feel like going to another market, so I'm subbing in whole allspice.  You can do things like that with a malleable, spice-driven recipe.

I'm also putting in the tea later.  Chai recipes generally have you boil the spices and tea leaves together for five minutes.  That sounds far too bitter to me, so I'm boiling the spices for five and adding the tea after all the other ingredients for another ten off the heat.  There's still a strong tea flavor because of the quantity used, but the bitterness of brewing too long is removed.

As for the tea, I did not find any recommendations on what blend to use, other than it should be loose leaf.  It must be a personal choice.  I would stay away from a scented one like Earl Grey.  Plain varieties include Orange Pekoe (Lipton), Assam, English Breakfast, and Ceylon.  Darjeeling has a more delicate flavor, if you want less "tea" in your chai.

1 whole star anise or *4 whole allspice
*4 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods
4 whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2" cinnamon stick, broken in a few pieces
2 C water
*2C milk
2 Tb sugar
2 Tb loose leaf black tea

1.  Crack open cardamom pods and star anise.  Add to a saucepan with remaining spices and the water.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, until the mixture smells like the finished chai.

2.  Add milk and sugar and bring back up to a low boil.  Be careful not to scorch the milk by stirring frequently.  Remove from heat, stir in tea leaves, and cover.  Steep 5-10 minutes, depending how strong you like your tea.

Action shot

3.  Strain mixture into cups.  If you can find them, drop a cardamom skin into each mug.

4.  Chai can be served hot or over ice.  Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Makes 1 quart: 4 mug servings or 8-12 Indian servings.

Difficulty rating  π