A quick and easy recipe for the best homemade tea masala ready in less than 5 minutes is also given below. The best mornings are those that start first thing with either a cup of Kadak Chai (strong Qatari style tea), Cardamom Chai (tea with crushed cardamom) or Masala Chai (Indian tea with the addition of spices). You may think that a great cup of chai is only enjoyed on cold winter days. In fact, the aromatic flavours of perfect masala chai is enjoyed by Indians throughout the year – rain or shine!
What is Chai Masala Powder?
Also known as Chai masala, chai ka masala or masala tea powder. Chai is the Hindi word for tea, so this is an Indian tea masala powder that originates from the Indian subcontinent. Indian tea is sometimes prepared with whole spices but often a fine or coarse powder of basic spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove and ginger. It is a mixture of ground spices. The tea masala is boiled alongside tea, milk, lots of ginger and sugar to prepare the perfect cup of tea. Nothing beats the aromatic flavours of perfect masala chai on cold winter days! Every household will have its own recipe and unique combination of spices. You can easily purchase Indian tea masala but the beauty of homemade is that you can tailor it to suit your tastes. The dry spices themselves provide numerous health benefits.
Ingredients for Masala Chai Mix
Detailed recipe and video recipe in the recipe card below. The main ingredients are: Cinnamon bark – use cinnamon sticks or cinnamon powder Dry ginger powder – if you leave this out, use extra fresh ginger when preparing your hot cup of masala chai Green cardamom pods – you can use the seeds or the whole pod. Note, do not use black cardamom. You can also use green cardamom powder Whole black peppercorns – alternatively use black pepper powder Cloves – use either whole or clove powder Optional Star anise Fennel seeds – In North India or Punjab, fennel seeds are often added. Reminds me of a tea I once had at my local Gurdwara! Nutmeg – alternatively use nutmeg powder Rose Petals
Gujarati Chai Masala Recipe
In Gujarati chai masala, certain spices are never used. Gujaratis rarely use whole spices when making masala chai but use chai powder instead. In Gujarati tea masala powder, fennel seeds or star anise is never added. The powder is made up of dry ginger powder, cloves, green cardamom and cinnamon.
Easy Chai Masala Powder
My Mum has always made chai masala powder by buying ground powders of each of the ingredients. All you has to do is measure out the powders and simply mix together the blend of spices. Do this with a freshly bought packet of powder for a strong flavour.
How to make Homemade Chai Masala Recipe
Some recipes call to dry roast the spices first. I have not and do not find much difference in taste. Use a coffee grinder or spice grinder to make your own aromatic blend of whole spices. Add the whole spices to the coffee grinder and grind down to a fine powder Store in an air-tight container.
Storage
Spice blends are best stored in an airtight container to increase their shelf life. Keep the container stored in a cupboard at room temperature away from moisture. The masala keeps well for a few months before loosing its potency.
How to use Chai Masala
Here is how to make homemade masala chai recipe using masala chai spice mix. You will need a saucepan. To boiling water, add black tea leaves (or tea bags) and chai masala to extract the flavour. You do not need much chai masala – I use 0.5 teaspoon for 2 cups of tea but you can adjust this to suit your taste. You can also add more crushed fresh ginger and even holy basil (tulsi leaves) to the saucepan. Some also add dry rose petals for a very unique flavor. For a milk tea, add milk and bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes. Optionally add sugar and continue to boil for a minute then switch off the heat. Chai masala must be sieved out prior to serving. Do not add the powder directly into a mug as it will make the tea grainy. Chai Masala goes best in black tea preparations. However, you can add it to a ginger tea or swirl into herbal teas before straining as well. You can use tea masala in bakes such as cinnamon rolls or add to coffee shop style chai tea latte.
Other Homemade Spice Powders
Indian Curry Powder Madras Curry Powder Maharastra Goda Masala Gujarati Dabeli Masala Kesar Badam Masala (Doodh Masala Powder) As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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