How to make masala chai

Which tea works best for chai?

Masala chai needs a robust black tea that can stand up to milk and spices. Across India and Pakistan the usual choice is CTC tea, short for crush, tear, curl: the leaves are processed into tiny granules that release colour and flavour in a couple of minutes. Popular names on our shelves include Wagh Bakri Premium Black Tea, Tapal Danedar, Brooke Bond Red Label and Taaza, Tata Tea Gold and Premium, and Ispahani Mirzapore from Bangladesh.

Leaf teas such as Ahmad Ceylon or Lipton Yellow Label also work; they just need an extra minute in the pan. For a shortcut, try a pre-spiced tea like Wagh Bakri Masala Tea, Ahmad Cardamom Tea or Mahmood Cardamom Tea. You'll find the full range under chai and black tea.

Base recipe: masala chai for two cups

Ingredients

• 250 ml water
• 250 ml whole milk
• 2 heaped tsp CTC black tea
• 3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 cm fresh ginger, grated or bashed in a mortar
• a small piece of cinnamon bark (about 2 cm)
• 2 cloves
• 2–3 tsp sugar, to taste

Method

1. Put the water, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a small pan, bring to the boil and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes so the spices give up their flavour.
2. Add the tea and boil for 1–2 minutes until the liquid is a deep, dark brown.
3. Pour in the milk, add the sugar and bring it back to the boil. When the chai rises up the pan, lower the heat for a moment, then let it rise again. Repeat two or three times, about 3 minutes in total.
4. Strain through a fine sieve into warmed cups and drink straight away.

A chaiwala trick: pour the finished chai back and forth between two jugs from a little height. It cools slightly and picks up a light froth on top.

Make your own chai masala

If you make chai every day, a jar of spice blend saves time. Dry-roast 2 tbsp green cardamom pods, 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks in a pan for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Let them cool, grind them finely and mix in 2 tbsp ground dried ginger. Kept in an airtight jar, the blend stays aromatic for several weeks. Use a scant half teaspoon for two cups, added to the boiling water together with the tea. Everything you need is in our whole spices range.

Regional variations

Karak chai

Karak means strong. You use more tea (3 tsp for two cups) and more sugar, and boil it for noticeably longer until it turns thick and almost toffee-coloured. In Pakistan and the Gulf a splash of condensed or evaporated milk often goes in too.

Doodh patti

Pakistani doodh patti, literally milk and leaf, skips the water entirely. Tea, sugar and perhaps a crushed cardamom pod are simmered straight in 400 ml of milk until it turns a rich caramel-beige. It is wonderfully creamy; just keep stirring so the milk doesn't catch on the bottom.

Lal cha

In Bengal, lal cha means red tea: black tea with no milk, sweetened and sometimes served with a slice of lemon. At an evening adda with friends, it comes with a bag of chanachur or a bowl of muri on the side.

Kashmiri chai

Pink noon chai from Kashmir is a different drink altogether. Green tea leaves are boiled for a long time with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, aerated with cold water and only then finished with milk and salt or sugar. It takes patience, but in many families it is a winter essential.

Making chai for a crowd

Scaling up for guests is easy. For six cups, use 600 ml water, 700 ml milk, 5–6 tsp tea, 6 cardamom pods, 2 cm ginger, a larger piece of cinnamon and 4 cloves. Choose a wide pan with plenty of headroom, because milk boils over faster than you expect. Timings only stretch a little: 3–4 minutes for the spices, 2 minutes for the tea and another 4–5 minutes once the milk is in. Put the sugar bowl on the table so everyone can sweeten their own cup, and brew a fresh pan rather than keeping chai hot for ages, as it stews and turns bitter.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Weak, watery chai: the tea didn't boil long enough before the milk went in, or there was too much water. Give it 1–2 minutes and keep water to half the total liquid.
• Bitter or harsh: it boiled too long once the milk was added. Three to four minutes is enough.
• Milk splits: fresh ginger can curdle milk. Always boil the ginger in water first and add the milk afterwards.
• No spice flavour: crush the spices first. Whole, uncracked cardamom pods give away very little.

Chai with plant milk

Oat drink works well but thickens quickly if it boils for long, so add it at the end and let the chai come up to the boil just once. Soya drink may split with lots of ginger; strain the spiced tea first, then pour in the soya. No fresh milk in the fridge? Dissolve milk powder such as Nido Instant Milk Powder in hot water instead.

What to serve with chai

Chai is only half the ritual without something to nibble. Parle-G for dunking, cake rusks, jeera or kalonji biscuits and a little savoury namkeen are all classic companions. Have a look at our Indian biscuits and rusks for your afternoon tea break.