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Masala Chai

Spiced milk tea

मसाला चाय

masala = spice blend, chai = tea

Masala Chai
Active
~15 min
Yield
Pairs with
pakora, biscuits, breakfast — or any time.
Start Cook Mode

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2–3 tsp black (Assam CTC is ideal)
  • fresh , crushed
  • 2
  • 2
  • small
  • 2
  • a few (optional)
  • sugar or jaggery, to taste

Steps

  1. 1.Lightly crush the ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and fennel.
  2. 2.Simmer them in the water with the tea (a decoction). Boil the ginger here, before the milk goes in — fresh ginger added cold to milk will curdle it.
  3. 3.Add the milk; simmer until the colour is a warm tan.
  4. 4.Sweeten with sugar or jaggery; strain into cups.

Variations

Adrak chai: ginger only.
Elaichi chai: cardamom only.
Kadak: stronger, longer-brewed.

Chai is India's social glue, poured by chai-wallahs on every street corner. The one real technique is the decoction: spices, ginger, and tea boiled in water before the milk. That order matters — fresh ginger carries an enzyme (zingibain) that curdles milk if it meets it cold. Strong, malty CTC Assam tea gives the backbone.