Saturday 22 March 2014

Masala Chai

Masala Chai / Tea is a tea beverage very popular in India / South Asia. It is flavoured with a mixture of aromatic Indian Spices. This chai is prepared by adding milk to the freshly brewed tea. In my family we drink tea first thing in the morning. I am so addicted to tea that if I do not drink tea on any day, I feel so dull. Tea gives me calming effect in the morning and keeps me alert all day



When I started cooking , may be at the age of 15 or 16 , Tea was the first thing my mother taught me in the kitchen. She gave me measurements for water, tea leaves and sugar. I used to follow the measurement exactly and still my tea was not as good as my mother's. Then she taught me that adding exact measurements is not enough. How much time we let the tea leaves boil in water is also important for a good tasting tea.

If we let the tea leaves boil for lesser duration, tea will not be strong enough and not tasty enough. My younger sister and I used to take turns to make tea everyday. My mother will judge whose tea tastes better. Now I have been making tea for years and I can almost eyeball tea leaves and sugar.

Recently my neighbours mom visited our home. I offered her mawa cake and masala chai. She was quite impressed by the chai I made. She said it is one of the best tea she had in recent days. She also asked me to share my tea recipe. So here I am , sharing the recipe for masala chai

Preparation time : 5 Minutes
Cooking Time : 20 Minutes
Yield : 3 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups of Water
  • 1 and 1/2 Tablespoon tea leaves
  • 4 Tablespoon Sugar (my tea is sweet, reduce sugar if you want it less sweet)
  • 1/2 Inch Ginger chopped
  • 2 Green Cardamom Pods
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
  • 3/4 Cup Milk

Directions

1. In a pan bring 2 cups of water to rolling boil. Add 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of tea leaves and reduce the flame to the lowest setting


  
 

 

 

2. Add chopped ginger, cardamom to the tea and let it boil for 5 minutes

                                    
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3. Heat milk in a microwave safe coffee mug on high in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. You can alternatively heat milk in stove top too. I find microwave method is quick for me

                                  


4. Add hot milk to the boiling tea and add cinnamon powder and Sugar. Give it a good stir with a spoon and if there are tea leaves on the side of the pan scrape them down and let it boil for 10 minutes on lowest heat setting. For me I feel there is a difference in taste when you boil tea in high flame / lowest flame. Tea boiled in lowest flame setting tastes always better

                               

                               


5. Check for sugar and add more if required. Switch of flame. Strain through the strainer and serve tea hot

                                 

                                 

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