Easy step by step recipe for you to learn how to make authentic delicious homemade Indian chai from scratch. 10 minutes is all it takes to make a gorgeous cup of chai for you to sip and enjoy!
Chai is a milky Indian tea drink made with black tea, mill and optional sugar and spices. Chai is not just a drink, it is an emotion. Chai time or tea time is extremely sacred for most Indian families.
- It is what you look forward to when you come home after a long day’s work.
- It is what you fuel up with in the morning.
- It is what makes rainy days even more cozy and beautiful.
- It is what makes samosas and pakoras better.
- It is what you look forward to catch up with friends and family.
- It is a great excuse to take a break from work during the day.
- It is a great pit stop on a long road trip (in India).
- It is also a great way to cozy up in a corner with a book.
Now that you know how chai is such an integral part of the Indian culture, let's move on to learning more about it and most importantly learn how to make a great cup of chai.
What is chai tea ?
This is a question I asked myself when I first came to the United States over a decade ago.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says “chai tea”. Chai in itself is a tea drink made with black tea and milk, there is no need to add another tea to it. It is like saying cappuccino coffee or tea tea.
In India, chai or chaya or cha is used interchangeably with the term tea. You ask for a cup of tea and you most likely will get chai. These days other teas like green tea and other herbal teas are becoming more common in India, but still tea=chai for the most part.
Indian chai is definitely not the Starbucks version that starts with a syrup of tea and so heavily spiced. The spices in an Indian chai is subtle and elevates the flavor of the tea without overpowering the tea flavor.
What is the difference between chai and masala chai?
Chai is black tea with milk. Spices and sugar are optional add ons.
Masala chai is chai that is made with spices added to it. The spices and the amount of each spice that is added varies a whole lot from once chai drinker to another.
I change up the spice combos I use in my chai all the time, depending on my mood that day.
What is chai masala?
Masala means a blend of various spices. Chai masala is the blend of spices that is commonly used to make masala chai.
Some of the common spices that are added to chai are:
- Green cardamom / elaichi
- Ginger / Adrak
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Fennel Seeds
- Black Pepper
You can add any or all of this to your tea. You can also grind and premix some of these spices to make chai masala. Store bought chai masalas are also a great option to start out with.
This chai masala can be used as any other spice mix or seasoning and added to other recipes. This chai masala spiced white chocolate creme brulee or chai masala and cashew shortbread cookies are great examples.
What are the different kinds of chai?
Depending on what kind of ingredients you add or don't add to flavor your chai, there are different kinds of chai.
- Plain Chai - this is just chai with tea leaves, milk, water and optional sweetener.
- Masala Chai - Masala chai is chai made with adding a blend of spices called chai masala that is homemade or store bought.
- Ginger Chai or Adrak Chai - Grated or crushed fresh ginger is added to boiling water, milk and tea leaves to make ginger chai.
- Green Cardamom Chai or Elaichi Chai - Crushed green cardamom pods are added to the boiling water when making chai to impart the sweet spiciness of cardamom to make Elaichi chai.
Can Chai be made vegan?
Absolutely. Just swap out the regular whole milk for oat milk or almond milk to make vegan Indian chai.
Ingredients in Indian chai
Each Indian family will have their own recipe to make chai. Even within families, it may be different. How I make chai is very different from how my mom makes and how my mother-in-law makes.
The proportion of each of the ingredients varies from person to person and family to family.
The primary ingredients in Indian chai are
- Water
- Tea leaves - black tea leaves or loose leaf tea are used to make chai. My preferred brands are Tetley and Society Tea. There are many who love the Wagh Bakri brand as well. Any black tea bags will work too. If you are using tea bags, I would cut them open and use the tea in it, as it gets out more of the tea flavor that is needed to go with milk.
- Milk - I use whole milk for my chai and my water to milk ratio is higher because of that. If you are using 2% milk, I would add more milk and less water or else your chai may end up watery.
- Sugar - regular granulated sugar is commonly used to sweeten chai. You can use brown sugar or jaggery as well.
- Spices - spices are optional
How to make Indian Chai ?
- Gather the ingredients - tea leaves, milk, water and spices, if using, to make the chai.
- Boil water - Start by bringing the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Crush any spices that you are using for the chai.
- Add tea leaves - Reduce the heat to medium and add the tea leaves to boiling water. Let it boil for a minute.
- Add the chai masala spice mix, if using. Mix it in well, with a spoon.
- Add the milk and increase the heat to medium-heat. Keep a close watch on the saucepan at this time, as the milk may boil over.
- Bring the tea to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Strain chai - Turn off heat and strain the chai into tea cups. Add sugar to taste and mix well. Enjoy it hot.
Tips to make the perfect chai from scratch
- Adjust the water to milk ratio to your taste. This comes with practise. You can go with the ratio in this recipe and change it up to your personal preference.
- Start with less spice if you are making masala chai. You can always add more the next time you make chai. Understanding how the milk, water and tea works and then incorporating the spices into it is key.
- Don’t boil the tea leaves in high heat for a long time. You chai may turn bitter. A minute is more than enough. You can boil more to steep in the flavor after adding the milk.
- Add the spices once the tea leaves and water have boiled, for the flavors to stay fresh and not be boiled away.
Serving Suggestions
A cup of hot chai can be enjoyed by itself. But usually it is accompanied by some form of snack during tea time.
Chai can be enjoyed with
- Tater Tots Chaat
- Masala Papad
- Beetroot Parippu Vada _ Lentil Fritters with Beet
- Matar Kachoris - Fried Pastry with Spiced Green Peas Filling
- Pakora Chaat
- Paneer Butternut Squash Tikki
- Kara Sev - Fried Spiced Chickpea Flour Sticks
- Chivda - Savory Beaten Rice Flakes with Peanuts
Authentic Homemade Indian Chai Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ tablespoon black tea leaves
- ¾ cup organic whole milk
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 2 cloves
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Gather the tea leaves, milk, water and spices, if using, to make the chai.
- Start by bringing the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Crush any spices that you are using for the chai.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the tea leaves to boiling water. Let it boil for a minute.
- Add the organic whole milk and increase the heat to medium-heat. Keep a close watch on the saucepan at this time, as the milk may boil over.
- As the milk is about to boil, add the chai masala spice mix, if using. Mix it in well, with a spoon.
- Bring the tea to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low or whichever heat point where the chai keeps dubbing and simmering but does not rise so it can overflow.
- Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. You can let it simmer for just a minute or so, if you are in a hurry. The simmering is what concentrates all that flavor for the chai. You can simmer it for as long as even 5-10 mins. It may reduce the quantity of chai a little but it will keep it nice and hot as you wait for company.
- Turn off heat and strain the chai into tea cups. Add sugar to taste and mix well. Enjoy it hot.
Notes
- Adjust the water to milk ratio to your taste. This comes with practise. You can go with the ratio in this recipe and change it up to your personal preference.
- Start with less spice if you are making masala chai. You can always add more the next time you make chai. Understanding how the milk, water and tea works and then incorporating the spices into it is key.
- Don’t boil the tea leaves in high heat for a long time. You chai may turn bitter. A minute is more than enough. You can boil more to steep in the flavor after adding the milk.
- Add the spices towards the end for the flavors to stay fresh and not be boiled away.
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