Crafting the Perfect Cup of Masala Chai

Crafting the Perfect Cup of Masala Chai: A Story of Connection and Self-Discovery

Alrightttt time for a fun one.

So, last November (2022), I went to India to visit a family member in a critical health situation. During that time, I got to spend a lot of time with family members who I’d been completely disconnected from for nearly a decade.

It was a process of renewal and rediscovery.

While there, I was coming off a year without caffeine (see previous blog post about that experience). I decided that, to be polite, I would indulge in tea when offered because I know it is perceived as rude to turn it down (plus, it helped with the jet lag).

In the process, I fell back in love with Indian Masala Chai 😍

For a long time now, I’ve been thinking about how disconnected I’d become from my Indian roots, living as an Indian born in Canada. ABCDs I think we’re called??? I have no idea what that means.

One way I’ve found to get closer to my culture while living away is to develop my own masala chai recipe. It is a small pleasure that gives me tremendous joy every morning!

What is Masala Chai

Chai is the Hindi word for tea. Some variation of this word is used in many languages to mean the same thing: cha, chè, te, thé and more.

Masala means spices.

Masala + Chai = spiced tea.

Don’t get it twisted and call something Chai Tea because that means Tea Tea T.T -O.O-

Masala chai exists in different forms in different regions of the world. For example, in some areas like Pakistan, they use sweetened condensed milk in the tea (this is called Karak chai). In other places like Kashmir, they have a version of masala chai, which involves a natural chemical reaction and time that turns the colour pink.

Today’s Indian Masala Chai is usually made with Assam tea leaves that have been processed with the CTC method (crush, tear, curl), developed during British rule by a Britisher. In the western world, the tea leaves can usually be purchased in bulk from an Indian grocery store or even from some Walmarts.

I use Brooke Bond Red Label tea leaves simply because that’s what I was shown. I’ve been pleased with the results.

The “masala” part of the tea is where things get interesting. If you travel around India, no two teas will taste alike. And that is where the beauty lies. Every chai wala (person who makes and sells tea) and family has some variation on the basic recipe unique to them. The recipe may have travelled through generations and has been refined over time to suit the people consuming it.

Some typical spices you might see in chai are the following:

• cardamom
• cinnamon
• fresh ginger (some say this is a must)
• star anise
• cloves
• peppercorns
• fresh mint leaves
• saffron
• carom seeds

In India, if you buy masala chai on the street, it’s typically served in a small clay pot with just a few sips in it. You can smash the pot after and it can be recycled into new pots or just become part of the earth 🙂 Sometimes they also serve it in a glass made of glass. Don’t smash those!

Chai is typically consumed alone or with some sort of tea biscuit or cake rusk. Many adore Parle G, but I’m partial to Lotus Cookies.

Making and consuming chai is a fascinating (and tasty) way to engage with something entrenched historical tradition.

Developing my Chai Recipe

Like many before me, I decided to undertake the arduous process of developing my chai recipe.

Many attempts later, I came up with my perfect blend and I couldn’t be happier with it. I think the moral of the story is that you CAN use my recipe, but it would be more fun if you tune it to your own tastes.

Here’s the process I went through:

Prior to all of this, I found “chaitok” (a subgenre of Tiktok where people are making masala chai). There’s one very kind-spoken creator whose videos I loved and who was partially my inspiration to get started. Be sure to check out his videos if you use TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@crossculturekev

1. I asked my dad to show me how he made his chai. My dad has been making a chai for himself every morning as his sole source of caffeine throughout the day. Also meaning he’s abstained from coffee his whole time living in Canada. He kindly let me watch as he made his morning tea one morning. I’ve also observed my mom making it for him on the weekend and how she does it differently. This gave me an overall idea of the process.
2. I researched the spices and ingredients available to see what I can experiment with.
3. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
4. I documented how every attempt went a wrote notes on what I liked and didn’t like in each attempt.
   
5. I tweaked what I felt went wrong in previous attempts until I was happy with the results.
6. I got creative with the flavours.

My Chai Recipe

**Note: I will post a more in-depth recipe in the future with pictures and more.

Equipment:

• Mug to measure liquids
• Small pot
• Small handheld fine mesh sieve
• Mortar and pestle
• Stove
• Ladle with long handle

Ingredients

• 2/3 mug water
• 1/3 mug milk*
• 1 tsp sugar** (or more to taste)
• 1 heaping spoon of loose black Assam tea leaves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 2-3 star anise “petals” (break off 2-3 pods from the whole star anise. Each should contain 1 seed)

Steps

1. Heat water on med-high heat.
2. While the water is heating, roughly crush spices. Add to the pot. Wait for the water to turn a yellowish colour (a bit lighter than green tea).
3. Add the tea leaves. Wait for the water to turn an opaque brown-black (about 1-2min). The water should reach a soft boil.
4. Add 1/3 mug of milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar.
5. Bring mixture to a boil. Take off the heat just before it boils over. NOTE: Keep a close eye on the chai because it will boil over and produce a mess in your kitchen if you don’t remove it from the heat in time. You should notice a film of dark brown milk fats forming on the surface.
6. Return pot to heat and simmer over low-med for 5 minutes.
7. Increase heat to med-high once more and remove from heat before it boils over. This should take only seconds.
8. Aerate the chai (use a ladle to scoop the chai and pour it back into the pot) from a height of 1 foot (or less if it’s too messy) over a sink. Repeat a few times. It should become a bit frothy and the layer of milk fats should be re-incorporated into the tea.
9. Pour the mixture through a handheld mesh sieve into the mug you used for measurement and ENJOY.

Notes:

*You can use non-dairy milk, but it will significantly alter the taste. I’ve tried it with soy and coconut. I would STRONGLY suggest against coconut milk as it’s mostly water, so you won’t get that creamy taste and it won’t balance the bitterness of the black tea. Heating the soy milk makes its flavour really strong. It’s not too bad if you don’t mind that flavour.

*You can adjust the ratio of water to milk up to 1:1. Keep in mind that we’re using the mug to measure so that it makes the right amount for 1 serving for 1 person. You can start off with a little more liquid in total than the mug can hold because some water will evaporate during the process. If you use more milk, you may need more spices to have the flavour still cut through.

**You may use other sweeteners such as maple syrup or condensed milk. Keep in mind that those may affect the texture and flavour of the chai.