Active Time

　　5 minutes

　　Total Time

　　30 minutes

　　Masala chai is a spicy and milky South Asian black tea that started as a popular Indian street drink but today is made in many homes. (Read more about chai's history here.) This version mixes the sweet spiciness of dried ginger with piney-fruity-minty green cardamom and the brash, earthy heat of black pepper. Gently crushing the cardamom and peppercorns helps to release their flavors faster. This yields a spicy cup; for a milder version, barely crush the peppercorns. Cooking at a rolling boil rehydrates the spices and provides maximum flavor absorption.  

　　  

　　CTC teas are processed tea granules that produce a strong black tea which lacks nuance but can stand up to the strong spices in a typical masala chai. At Indian grocery stores or online, they’re sometimes labeled mamri tea. CTC tea has a lot of caffeine, so if you’re sensitive you can use as little as 2 teaspoons. To make a single cup of chai, divide ingredient quantities by 4, then cook for 4 minutes with the spices and water and 5 minutes with the milk in a small pot.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　32 green cardamom pods, coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle

　　1 tsp. ground ginger

　　1 tsp. whole black peppercorn, coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle

　　2 Tbsp. CTC Assam tea (such as Red Label, Tea India, 24 Mantra Organic, or Wagh Bakri)

　　3 cups milk, dairy or plant-based

　　4 tsp. granulated sugar or jaggery, divided, or to taste.

　　

Step 1

To a 5-qt pot, add 3 cups water, cardamom pods and seeds, ginger, and pepper and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Then add tea and boil for 4–5 minutes until the water looks darker.

　　

Step 2

Add milk and let boil until the foam almost overflows the pot. (Not all plant-based milk will rise when it boils. If yours doesn’t, keep it at a rolling boil for 30 seconds before continuing with the recipe.) Place a wooden spoon across the pot to avoid bubbling over, and lower heat briefly. When foam has settled, return to medium heat, continuing to boil for a total of 10 minutes from the time that milk was added, until the liquid has reduced by ⅓ and has a deep tan color. If the foam continues to rise, lower heat slightly.

　　

Step 3

Remove from heat. Using a strainer, strain tea into 4 teacups. (For a frothy chai, pour the chai from one cup to another a few times until bubbles form.) Add about 1 tsp. sugar (or more to taste) per cup, and serve immediately.

　　

Variations

Step 4

Swap or add in one or all of these spices to make a different cup of chai: 2 tsp. dried mint, 8 cloves (coarsely crushed), one 4-inch cinnamon stick (crushed into smaller pieces).