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My name is Lisa and I'm a crafty girl with wanderlust working as an engineer by day. My blog chronicles projects in my home as well as pictures and stories from my travels.

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Monday
Jan072013

Making Masala Chai

I love drinking my tea sweet with lots of milk so when I discovered masala chai back when I was in college I was instantly hooked. It is such a lovely sweet and spicy drink and is definitely among my favorite beverages, especially when it is chilly outside.

Masala chai originates from South Asia and literally means "mixed spice tea." It is often referred to as chai tea in the West, but since chai actually means tea calling it chai tea is redundant.

Two years ago my friend, Pam, who spent time living in India, gave me a lovely present of some spices, black tea, a tea strainer and instructions for making masala chai. I had never realized how easy making your own was until receiving that thoughtful gift. As an added benefit it makes your home smell wonderful while you are boiling the spices.

There are about a million different ways to make masala chai (varying the spices, changing the ratio of water and milk, what step in the process you add the milk, steeping or boiling the tea, etc.) but I thought I would share a simple recipe that I enjoy which makes enough for about two cups. If you have never made masala chai at home before you can use this as a starting point and experiment to find what recipe fits your tastes.

Ingredients List
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 thin slices of fresh ginger
- 1 star anise pod
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons loose black tea (Assam, Ceylon) 

Directions
- Place spices, water, milk and sugar in a small sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes

- Remove from heat, add tea leaves and allow tea to steep for 4 minutes 

- Pour masala chai into cups through tea strainer, straining out the spices and tea leaves

Tips and Tricks
- If you plan to make chai masala often I recommend buying spices in bulk at an Indian grocery which is much cheaper than buying small jars at the regular grocery (If you are in Ann Arbor I like Bombay Grocers)
- Have fun experimenting to find what recipe you like best! 

References (7)

References allow you to track sources for this article, as well as articles that were written in response to this article.
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    Great to know about this homeandawaywithlisa blog really very useful for all, I can say about this blog keep doing in the same way. Mostly about making masala chai, very healthy and tasty.
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    Response: Buy Spices
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    Well, well, well, my fellow Chick-fil-A enthusiasts! Want a chance to win a free sandwich? Just hop on over to https://www.mycfavisit.blog/, complete their survey, and voila! Only for US residents and Chick-fil-A fanatics, though.
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Reader Comments (10)

I like Chai tea in the afternoon. I gave up trying to get it right every time from scratch. I found a pre-made brand through our local grocery store and I would say it is much better than my own blend. I think I may give your recipe a try and I need a new snoop around the health food store. Thank you & Cheers.

January 7, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMary-Lou

Mary-Lou- I like chai anytime! You should definitely try making your own from scratch again. :)

January 8, 2013 | Registered CommenterLisa
February 4, 2015 | Unregistered Commenterchinu77

Masala tea is good but I love green tea. I love to drink tea at movie times and here is last years best movies Watch Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 Full Movie Online Free and Watch Fifty Shades of Grey Full Movie Online Free

February 7, 2015 | Unregistered Commentermagarmachh

Such a nice post about masala chai making. Thanks for sharing it.

November 8, 2017 | Unregistered CommenterThe Brew Story

Did a great job in explaining masala chai!!! Thanks for the wonderful article, for Best Indian Grocery Store Online in Dallas,Texas visit here

November 15, 2019 | Unregistered CommenterIndian Grocery

There wont be a day without having chai and this recipe I have tried and its really amazing. Its a wonderful evening benerage.

October 10, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterShwetha

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November 23, 2021 | Unregistered Commentermyhome grocers

nice looking sites and great work. Pretty nice information. it has a better understanding. thanks for spending time on it.
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November 23, 2021 | Unregistered Commentermyhome grocers

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