Chai Teas from Scratch

I've been wanting to make some for a while now. However, I thought I'd post on here to see if anyone has a simple recipe.

I have a variety of ingredients, but when researching recipes online I find that I'm missing out on some that seem to be in every recipe. I should really go make myself a list of what I DO have and what I DON'T have. What has been your experience? Can you leave out things you don't have? Is there a really basic recipe?

I have star anise, but don't have cardamom (I may perhaps have some that is powdered though). Do you have to use whole ingredients or can you use powders if that's all you have?

I guess I'll post more questions that I think of as they come up.

There are probably as many recipes for "chai" as there are chai makers. But the basic recipe that I have observed over many households and "chaiwallahs" is to boil milk and sugar (in ratios varying from 1/3-2/3 to 1/2-1/2) with at least one teaspoon of sugar per cup; to the mix can be added some combination of fresh herbs and spices like grated ginger, fresh mint, lemon grass, holy basil (tulsi) or dried spices - generally cardamom. I have never seen anyone in India use star anise, for instance, but I have seen some people add a little pepper. There is no one way - experiment and see what combination works for you. I personally like ginger, mint and cardamom. A critical element of success is the type of tea you use. It needs to be robust to impart a good deep colour and to stand up to the spices. It would be a waste to use really good Darjeeling (in my view) - most people in India use a strong Assam. In the US I use PG Tips, and add it to the boiling milk-water-spice mixture and bring to one boil before covering the pan and letting it steep for a few minutes. Enjoy!

I actually went to a indian specialty grocery and bought something called Tea Masala, which is a pre-made spice blend that you can use in a similar method to what chapeauchin outlined above. It's ingredient list includes black pepper, cardamom, pepper root, curry leaves, clove leaves, ginger and cloves. I dont know how available clove leaves and pepper root generally are, but I've seen curry plants at the farmer's market so I know they're around. I'm sure you could easily substitute a little curry powder for that (curry doesn't come from a curry plant, but the curry plant does have a smell/flavor that mimics curry powder). I think probably the cardamom, cloves, and ginger are the key ingredients in it....I obviously don't have an exact recipe, maybe just take some of the spices mentioned above and play around until you get something you like :)

also, ground spices will probably make a deeper flavor, so while either way will be fine, but you may find you personally prefer one way or the other. remember to strain it before drinking!

I use this: http://www.ranisworldfoods.com/products/Rani-Tea-Masala-3Oz.html
Which is: cardamom seeds, green cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, anise seeds. There are several brands of chai masala or you can blend your own.

But I don't use their recipe. I boil in a saucepan 1 cup milk (I use soy), 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons Brooke Bond granulated tea, and 2 teaspoons sugar and the masala (1/4 teaspoon?) for a few minutes and strain. I learned method this from my Nepali housemates, who actually don't usually use chai masala, they just use black pepper. Nepali chai is very invigorating.

>3 LipstickAndAviators: Don't put curry powder in! Totally the wrong spices and it'll make your chai yellow orange.

I've played around with a lot of chai recipes.

I'd strongly recommend using assam. I personally think you do need cardamom for chai. Where I am it's prohibitively expensive to use anything but ground, and that has worked well enough for me. I use cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper always. I often use nutmeg, mint, cloves, and occasionally orange zest. I use around 1 tsp of sugar per 6 oz of water and sometimes sub honey for sugar.

I typically make a large batch of sugar, spice, tea mixture (like the Tazo boxed stuff) and keep it in the refrigerator. I steam milk and mix it with the tea before drinking.

Vidya, I'm interested in how you make your big batch. I'm always buying the Tazo box stuff, but it gets incredibly expensive. I'd love to be able to make my own! Is your post the general recipe? thanks!

I once went into the tea business, a very short career through no fault of the tea. My first products were a chai and a Middle Eastern mint blend. The chai was strong black tea (Assam) with a ginger/cinnamon/cardamom/clove blend from an Indian friend's recipe who added black pepper in the winter. Nowadays, when I crave a quick authentic tasting cup I use an herbal spice teabag such as Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice added to my favorite strong black tea like PG Tips or Yorkshire Gold and simmer in milk until it can't get any stronger. Sweetener to taste.

if you do find yourself in an Indian grocery, look for a brand of tea called Vaagh-Bakri. It is very strong granulated loose tea, which holds up really well to the spices and boiling, and has the distinctive tannic taste that is the hallmark of an authentic chai that you can find on the roadside in India.

"...on the roadside in India."

...or on the train or at a station. Mmmm.

I'll look for it, maybe online.