Hey there, fellow coffee lovers and friends! I hope you are enjoying your cup of coffee while reading this post. I have been thinking about writing the classic Indian masala chai, but I have been a little hesitant to share it among all the coffee enthusiasts in the community. Regardless, I recently published a post about the sugar collection, and it inspired me to finally write about it.
Honestly, I don't drink coffee every morning, I drink CHAI. 1 cup of Masala chai which is enough for me a whole day.
I typically make two cups of masala chai in the morning (Two cups one for me and one for my husband) before our breakfast, and it keeps me alert and focused throughout the day. I rarely feel the need for any other beverages until the next day. I drink coffee for pleasure occasionally, for special celebrations, parties, or visits, and coffee is more convenient for me during travel.
There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about masala chai. Some people believe that masala chai means throwing a bunch of spices into tea, or loads of spices adding to black tea is masala chai. There are many ways to make masala chai, but that's not quite accurate. In reality, masala chai involves brewing black tea with milk and water, adding sweetness (usually sugar or jaggery), and incorporating a limited selection of aromatic herbs or spices.
Here I mention each person or family has their choice of spices, but it is limited to 1 normal cup of chai minimum of 2 pinches of chai masala(a different way to make powder of spices) and a maximum of 1/4 tsp chai masala is the perfect measure.
Now, let me share my method of making masala chai.
So we can make masala chai now. here is my tutorial.
For two cups of chai, We need:
1.5 cups/Mugs of water
1/2 cup/Mug milk
3 tsp cane jaggery or white sugar
2 tsp black tea
1/2 tsp ginger powder
6 peppercorns
2 cardamom pods
Set water for boiling on the stove.
Add ginger powder and crushed pepper.
Crush the cardamom and keep the powder aside. toss the pod peels in the water.
Add the jaggery (if using white sugar you may prefer using less than 3 tsp) in the water. Avoiding sugar is not my way to drink chai. But in India, people who suffer from diabetes commonly drink weak black tea without sugar
Add tea and let it boil. There are varieties of Indian teas I keep in my kitchen
The aroma spreads in the kitchen.
Add the milk
Using the ladle or cup just pour back and forth 2-3 times while chai is cooking. Be careful so the chai never boils over.
Stay alert.
Now is the time to add the crushed cardamoms. remove from heat,
Strain it using a tea strainer.
And here is the masala chai ready to start the day.
You can try with less sugar.
Thank you very much for stopping by.