Masala Chai Tea

Masala Chai tea, is a tea beverage which originates from India subcontinent. The word "Chai" just means tea in hindu, but to most westerners "chai" is always construed as "masala chai". It is made by brewing tea with a mixture of selected aromatic Indian spices and herbs. These includes cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger. It is a very aromatic and strong tea which some people may not be use to. However, it is not something a little sweetener or a tbsp of milk cannot fix.

History of Masala Chai Tea

Tea plants have been grown in india since the BC era, it was first viewed by many as a medicinal . Some of the chai masala spice mixtures in current use are still derived from Ayurvedic medical texts.

In the 1830s, the British East India Company became concerned about the Chinese monopoly on tea, which constituted most of its trade and supported the enormous consumption of tea in Great Britain, approximately one pound (by weight) per person per year. The British solution to this was to plant the tea locally.

Through the years spices, herbs, milk and sugar were added to the beverage to increase its flavor. Thus masala chai was created throught the many years of trail and error. Masala chai in its present form has now firmly established itself as a popular beverage, not just outlasting other popular beverage , like the British Raj, but spreading beyond South Asia to the rest of the world.

Recipe

Masala Chai

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 8 cardomom pods
• 8 whole cloves
• 2/3 cup milk
• 6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
• 3 teaspoons any unperfumed loose black tea

Put 1-1/2 cups water in saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardomom, and cloves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. Throw in the tea leaves, cover, and turn ff the heat. After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.

This recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, Barron's, New York, p. 196 (1983).

Recommendations

Here we recommend you what complementary spices you can include in your Masala Chai Tea to spice up the recipe.

Spiced Green: Its a green tea from China with the delicate flavors of different spieces. This tea complements the Masala Chai Tea perfectly with its different combination of herbs and spices.

<<Back