Chai (Indian Tea)
"Chai is basically black tea brewed with selected spices and milk. This is the most commonly used traditional recipe of the classic Indian spiced tea. Chai tastes are personal and the making of chai requires experimenting with different amounts of spices, milk and ingredients to discover the specific blend of spices to suit your tastes. Be sure to use black tea for this recipe, not green or some other specialized variety."
photo by Carla C.
- Ready In:
- 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 2 1⁄2 cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 3 black tea bags
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed in a mortar
- 2 whole black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
- 1⁄2 inch cinnamon stick
- 1⁄8 teaspoon ginger powder (optional)
- 2 cloves
- sugar, to taste
directions
- Once water begins to boil add the cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, ginger (if using) and cloves.
- Simmer over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add milk.
- Add black tea bags and simmer 4 to 5 minutes or until the desired strength of tea is reached.
- Strain, serve and enjoy!
- If you would like to sweeten things up a bit, add enough sugar (or sugar substitute) to suit your taste.
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Reviews
-
A lovely tasting chai. I scaled it down to 1 serving. I made it as is except I left the pepper out and lighly crushed the clove with the back of a spoon. Next time i will add much more spice and still leave out the pepper. Thanx for a lovely warming drink. -
This made a typical spicy chai but easy to drink, too many others use too much cinnamon and cloves, which is just too much flavor. But this one is more balanced. I did however use raw ginger instead of powder and it was more like a mass of two teaspoons, and I used 5 cardamom pods. But very good advice to stay low on the cinnamon. Cinnamon spreads it's flavor very well in low doses anyway, using too much is just nauseating. -
This is similar to chai sheer that I make during Ramadan. I usually leave out the peppercorns and ginger though! -
You get ready made spice mix for chai in Indian grocery stores. People usually add just cardamon or just fresh minced/crushed ginger to the tea too. If using fresh ginger(my fav. way of making tea daily) make sure to add it towards the end of the tea-making process so that the tea does not curdle.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Carla C.
Netherlands
<p><br /> <br />My most used and favorite cookbook is the 1946 edition of Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School handed down to me from my Mother. <br /> <br />My most favorite kitchen utensils are a set of Johnson & Wales knives given to me by my mother, a professional chef. <br /> <br />I enjoy traveling to exotic places, trying new foods and bringing home rare ingredients to expirement with. <br /> <br />I work fulltime as a lab technician for a local diagnostic center. In addition to that, during my free time I'm either at the gym, listening to music, tending to my herb garden and/or trying out new recipes & ideas in the kitchen. <br /> <br />I am a classically trained singer and musician, passionate about music. <br /> <br />My favourite thing to do is sit outside in my garden with my husband, a glass of wine, good food, music & a few good friends. <br /> <br /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/AnimatedHostChallengeBanner.gif alt= /> <img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/200_artistrichardneuman-art-prints_.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting /></p>
