Even though it’s said that winter goes “out like a lamb”, we’re still very much in the “in like a lion” part.
Masala chai is made with warming spices, such as cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. These spices have numerous health benefits, and really elevate the taste of the chai.
Curl up with a warm mug of masala chai, the perfect companion in cold weather!
INDIAN MASALA CHAI
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups water
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 teabags
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk (can be whole milk, 2%, soy milk, etc)
DIRECTIONS
- Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add whole spices, teabags, and sugar to water, simmering for about five minutes, making sure sugar dissolves completely.
- To this, slowly add milk. Bring milk to a boil on medium, lowering the heat when the bubbles come close to the top.
- When the bubbles recede, turn up the heat again, and repeat this process about three more times, taking care not to allow the milk to boil over.
- Remove chai from heat. Strain chai into two mugs through a sieve to separate the solids. Let stand for a few minutes, or until ready to drink.
- Enjoy with your favorite snack!
Note: Milk boils very fast, so be sure not to walk away during this part of the process.
You can also add a dash of ginger to it. Tastes yum!
Oh, I’ve always meant to do that, but I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I will be trying that now! Thanks for the tip 🙂
😀 You are welcome!
What a lovely way to use cardamom. I adore cardamom, but don’t really bake so don’t get to use it often.
I use it in tea mainly, and I occasionally toss it into chicken curry. 🙂
Girl, you do it just like me! The only thing I do differently is that I add a few fennel seeds. 🙂 Mmm…now I want some chai. Might have to go make some.
Oh, I’ve never tried it with fennel. That sounds really good! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Thanks for this post! I love Indian chai! If I don’t have cardamom pods, how many teaspoons of ground cardamom can I use?
I’ve personally never used ground cardamom, but it is approx. 2/3 of a teaspoon. Here is the link for more info about cardamom (http://www.foodsubs.com/SpiceUniv.html).
According to the site, once the cardamom is ground, it may be less flavorful. So you might want to try experimenting with a little more ground cardamom to bring out the flavor.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Oh I love Indian chai…will definitely try this at home 🙂
Thanks!
You’re very welcome!