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Masala Chai

Masala Chai

Course Drinks
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings 10 People
Author Christie C.

Ingredients

  • 12 1/2 Cups (100oz) Water
  • 10 to 15" Fresh Ginger chopped or grated
  • 6 to 10 Cinnamon Sticks depending on how spicy you like your tea.
  • 15 Whole Cloves
  • 15 Green Cardamom Pods
  • 4 Black Peppercorns
  • 2 Whole Star Anise
  • 5 Fresh Bay Leaves (Optional) torn
  • 2 tbsp (35g) Darjeeling Tea (or your favorite black tea) loose or in bags
  • 14 Ounces (397ml) Sweetened Condensed Milk

Instructions

  1. With a mortar and pestle, gently crush the cloves and cardamom pods until they are a rocky powder. Alternatively, you can also crush the spices with the side of a knife.
  2. Fill a large stock pot with all of the ingredients except for the Darjeeling tea and condensed milk. The Bay Leaves are optional, but they add a nice layer of flavor to the tea.
  3. Bring the tea to a simmer, and then turn the heat down to low-medium. The tea should not simmer, but steam at the surface.

  4. Let the tea steep for a minimum of 3 hours, but up to 5 hours uncovered or until the liquid has reduced to half of its original volume. The liquid must reduce to half of its volume, or else the tea will be watery. Turn off the heat.

  5. Steep the Darjeeling tea into the spiced tea for at least 15 minutes.
  6. Using a chinois or fine mesh strainer, strain out the tea into another clean large pot. You may have to strain a second or third time to remove all of the herbs. With a spatula or whisk, mix in the sweetened condensed milk.
  7. Serve hot or chilled. Whipped cream dusted with nutmeg or ground cardamom and cinnamon can be added for a special treat!