Indian · Drink · All year
Masala Chai
4.6 · community
5m
Prep
12m
Cook
Easy
Level
140
Energy
Street-cart chai, properly kadak: black tea and whole spices boiled WITH milk, twice risen, strained from a height. The syrup-pump latte apologizes.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
2
Before you start
Mise en place
Equipment
Blender or shaker
Tall glass
Prep checklist
Black Tea — strong, loose
Chai Spices — or: 4 crushed cardamom pods + cinnamon + 2 cloves + fresh ginger
Sparkling Water — water
Ginger — smashed
3 steps
Method
1
Boil the water with spices and ginger 4 minutes; add tea for 2 more — stronger than seems wise.
6 min — timer available in cooking mode
2
Milk and sugar in; bring UP to a foaming rise, pull off, and repeat — the double rise marries and froths it.
4 min — timer available in cooking mode
Why this works
Chai is boiled with its milk, not topped with it. That's the entire difference between chai and "a chai latte."
3
Strain from a height into cups (aeration, and drama). Dunk something in it.
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Best the day it's made; syrups and bases keep a week refrigerated.
Freezing
Freeze bases into cubes for instant future drinks.
Reheating
Serve as intended — hot drinks fresh, cold drinks over plenty of ice.
Make ahead
Syrups and bases keep a week refrigerated; freeze fruit for instant thick blends.
Wine pairing
This is the drink.
Beer pairing
This is the drink.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
Shortbread or biscotti
Salted nuts
Garnish
A citrus wheel
Fresh mint
A cinnamon stick for warm drinks
Taste map
Flavour profile
Sweet
3
Salty
0
Sour
2
Bitter
1
Umami
0
Heat
0
Per serving
Nutrition
140
kcal
4g
protein
20g
carbs
5g
fat
3g
fiber
15g
sugar
520mg
sodium
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Your notes
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