At all of India’s roadside stalls, Masala Chai is served already sweetened. I have added about 1 teaspoon sugar per cup in this recipe, which makes the tea just mildly sweet. You may double that amount, if you prefer.

Ingredients

　　1/16 teaspoon cinnamon powder

　　1/16 teaspoon clove powder

　　1/16 teaspoon cardamom powder (if you do not have it, throw in 4 cardamom pods)

　　1/16 teaspoon ginger powder

　　4–5 generous grinds of the pepper grinder

　　3 tea bags of good, unflavored black tea (I use PG Tips)

　　2 cups whole milk

　　4 teaspoons sugar

　　Put 3 cups water in a pan. Add the cinnamon, clove, cardamom, ginger, pepper, and tea bags. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to very, very low, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar. Stir and bring to a simmer. Pour through a fine strainer and serve.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.