- For the chai:
- Pour all ingredients into a (preferably spouted) saucepan. Place over medium heat. Allow to heat until small bubbles appear around the perimeter of the milk. Stir the chai, scraping the bottom to avoid scalding the milk. When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat and stir well. Bring to a boil once again, turn off the heat and stir well. Allow to steep for a few minutes. Strain carefully into a cup, and serve.
- For the chai masala:
- If you are using whole spices, weigh out the appropriate amount, place in spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. Mix all the spices together, store in an airtight jar in a cool, dry part of your kitchen. Do not expose to too much sunlight.
How to Make [the best] Chai [ever]
Additional Notes
The recipe was passed down in grams, I’ve tried to convert it into conventional measurements, but please be aware that the conventional measurements are of the finely ground not the whole spices. Please note, you will get best results if you weigh the spices, it’s most accurate.
The masala recipe makes a LOT of masala. Feel free to make 1/5 of the recipe, that's the easiest number to divide if you have an accurate scale.
Some have said that the recipe is a bit spicy for them. For those of you who are finding the recipe a bit too spicy, feel free to decrease the black pepper. Perhaps start by cutting the amount in half (80g) and then making a cup, if you can think you can tolerate more black pepper start adding in 10 additional grams of black pepper until you get to your perfect spice level!
Do you have extra chai masala on hand? Here are some recipes to help you use it up:
Chai Cupcakes with Lemongrass-Mint Whipped Cream
Spiced Chai Pumpkin Pie
Chai Spiced Granola
Chai with Ginger, Lemongrass, and Mint
Chai Sweet Potato Pie with Vanilla Cardamom Meringue
