I know it’s as hot as the devil’s toenails outside. So why on earth would you want a chai tea recipe?! I’ll tell you why. Because it’s good. I’m not a big chai drinker, I usually only have it if my husband wants it on a Sunday morning. Sometimes in the winter I will make some. It is great for warming you up because it’s not just hot tea, it also has SPICE. Chai is so common in an Indian house, it gets made every 10 minutes, really! Well not always, but I have an uncle who has like 25 cups a day. So here’s what you need:

 

Black Tea

Water

Milk

Sugar

Chai Masala

Mint

Ginger

Vanilla

 

Milk and water will be half and half. So if you want to make two mugs of tea then start with one mug of water and then you’ll add one mug of milk.

Put your water in a pot and set the heat on high. Add in the black tea, sugar, and chai masala. Also add in a few sprigs of mint and some ginger shavings. The amounts are all based on how much you want to taste. Bring this mix to a boil and let it boil for a minute or two.

Add in the milk and bring back to a boil.

Let it boil for a few minutes and then pour through a sieve into coffee mugs.

Now you can make your own chai masala at home so that you can control it’s flavor or you can buy a packet of it at your local Indian store. Some of the main things that go in it are:

Peppercorn

Cardamom

Cloves

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Soonth or Dry Ginger Powder

You would toast the whole ingredients and then add the powdered ingredients and blend until it is a fine powder. The roasting helps to bring out all the flavors and it will make your home smell amazing!

Whenever I make chai I add in a lot of masala because I love when my tea is spicy. I add in vanilla to smooth out the flavor. Just a little bit though, the vanilla can overpower the flavor.

Mess around with the recipe.  Some people don’t like their tea as strong so they add the milk and water to the pot from the start.  The milk doesn’t allow the tea to steep as much so it’s a lighter tea.  I like my tea stronger so I boil the crap out of it with just water and then add milk at the very end.  Have you tried chai?  Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

 

You can get any black tea and make this.  We use loose tea but tea bags work just the same.  Red Label is a good one.