Do you know that many Indians love to drink tea? Indians usually drink black tea with sugar, milk, spices and/or herbs or both. I, personally, love a perfectly brewed hot cup of tea over coffee. In this post, I will, however, show you a very famous variety of tea which is called Masala Chai.

Masala chai (मसाला चाय, literally “mixed-spice tea”) is a flavored tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs. This recipe is different than tea which is usually brewed in many homes which may or may not use either a spice (Cardamom, Ginger) or herb (Tulsi, Indian basil), but not both. The extra spices and herbs add to the taste  (स्वाद – Svad) and aroma (सुगंध – Sugand) of tea. It is also considered to be very helpful (उपयोगी – Upyogi) in cough and cold. This recipe has gained immense worldwide popularity (लोकप्रियता – Lokpriyata). Now, you can enjoy the taste of Masala Chai in most coffee and tea houses across the globe. It is usually prepared by a decoction of green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground ginger, and black pepper together with black tea leaves. Nowadays, you can now get masala chai in pack containing tea bags, though it is always better to use fresh ingredients.

Now you know much about Masala Chai, why not give it a try for yourself?  I found a nice video on Youtube, which will show you exactly how to make it at home.

Masala tea usually need the following ingredients (the video also shows mint, which you may use or omit. Some people use fresh leaves of Tulsi, Indian basil though I suspect (संदेह – Sandah) that you will find it if you live outside India)

Ingredients for Masala Chai:

4 whole cloves (लौंग – Long)
2 cardamom (इलायची – Elayachi) pods
1 cinnamon (दालचीनी  – Daalchini) stick, broken into pieces
3 cups water (पानी – Paani)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (अदरक – Adarak)
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (काली मिर्च  – Kaali Mirch)
1/2 cup milk ( दूध  – Dudh)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (चीनी – Chini)
2 tablespoons black tea (काली चाय – Kaali Chai)