Homemade masala chai

 

I remember the first time I discovered chai. I was living in London and my boss, Arun, would sip a cup every morning as he logged on to his computer and checked his emails and later on in the day as he darted between meetings. After weeks of breathing in the mysterious spicy cinnamon scent that floated across to my desk, curiosity got the better of me and I demanded to know what he was drinking.

He poured me a steaming cupful of what I learned was masala chai, or spiced tea - a traditional milky drink from his home country, India. 

He explained that it was made from a mixture of Indian spices and herbs.

Ever since, I've been hooked on chai - whether it's a frothy, fluffy cupful of the coffee franchise syrup-based latte variety, or a tea bag version dunked in a cup of boiling water.

Now that I'm somewhat dubious about the additives that go into the coffee shop versions, I've decided to start buying them just as a treat - and make my own looseleaf chai.

I browsed the internet for a recipe and discovered there were a variety of ways to make it, but soon narrowed down a list of the most common ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cardamon, cloves and black tea leaves.

Now that I know exactly what goes into my own chai - I can drink it, guilt free! 
And, in my opinion it's the freshest, tastiest chai I've ever had.

This recipe produced a deliciously spicy but sweet concoction. The aroma that filled the house as soon as I started smashing the spices in my mortar and pestle was absolutely amazing. 

It wasn't until I had made the below recipe that I realised it yielded about six small cupfuls - so I ended up drinking a whole teapotful over the course of the day.

Afterwards, with a full, warm belly, I used the leftover spices to make more of the mixture and filled a small storage jar, so that I don't have to make it from scratch every time I'm craving a cup of the good stuff.

Homemade masala chai

Makes enough for about 6 teacups or one teapot

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp ground ginger

10 whole cloves

1 vanilla pod

2 tsp whole black peppercorns

6 cardamon pods

1 tbsp good quality looseleaf ceylon tea

2 cups milk (I used soy)

6 cups cold water

honey

Use a mortar and pestle to smash and grind the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamon and vanilla. You may need to cut up the vanilla pod with some scissors or a knife first. Add in the ginger and mix well.

 Mix the spices with the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over the stove. 

Reduce to a medium heat and stir in the tea leaves and milk. Simmer for five minutes.

Divide between teacups using a tea strainer or pour into a teapot.

Sweeten with a teaspoon of honey per cup.

Divine.

Note: To save time, you can simply steep the required amount in boiling water, and then add milk as you  would a normal cup of tea. The longer you steep it, the more intense the flavour. 

This tea is also delicious without milk.