During my travel in Nepal I drank a lot of Masala Chai, I think even every day. I really love this sweet spicy tea. Together with Sweet Lassi, this is my favorite Indian drink. Masala tea is an Indian recipe, but because Nepal has many Indian influences, it is also drunk here. Masala means herbs and Chai means tea. So the literal translation of Masala Chai is herbal tea. That name is very appropriate, because it contains quite a few herbs!
Fortunately, masala tea is very easy to make so that you can enjoy it at home. Of course you can add more or less herbs yourself, but try to keep the amount of milk and the amount of water equal. This recipe is for about 3 small tea glasses.
Masala Chai recipe
Ingredients (for 3 tea glasses)
- 4 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 – 3 slices of ginger
- 1 – 2 tbsp loose black tea (or tea bags)
- 250 ml of water
- 250 ml of milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
Grind the cardamom, cloves, star anise and peppercorns in a mortar. It doesn’t have to be completely powdered, a little crushing is also fine. Cut the cinnamon stick in half lengthwise.
Put a pan on the stove and add 250 ml of water to it. Toss in the crushed spices, along with the cinnamon stick and slices of ginger. Bring this to a boil, then add the black tea.
Then add 250 ml of milk and bring to a boil. The longer you let everything simmer, the stronger the taste becomes. Add sugar to taste and stir well.
You can now pour the Masala Chai through a sieve into the glass.
