Masala Chai

The real masala chai — strong, spicy, ginger-forward, and boiled with attitude, exactly as Indian chaiwalas make it. Watch the full step-by-step video, then follow the recipe card below.

Masala Chai

The real masala chai — strong, spicy, ginger-forward, and boiled with attitude, exactly as Indian chaiwalas make it.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

water
full-fat milk
black tea leaves
ginger, grated and crushed
cardamom pod, crushed
cinnamon stick
clove
sugar or to taste

Method
 

  1. Boil water with crushed ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and clove for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the tea leaves and sugar; boil 1-2 minutes until the colour deepens.
  3. Pour in the milk and let it rise and fall twice (the classic chaiwala boil).
  4. Strain into cups from a height for froth. Serve hot with biscuits.

Video

Notes

Crushing (not slicing) the ginger releases the juices that make chai sing.