Ask any Indian what is their favorite afternoon activity and you will likely hear, a hot cup of masala chai and some homemade snacks! Much like the culture of tea time in England, chai or tea time in India isn’t just a time to drink a caffeinated drink – it is almost a ritual of its own.
Chai or tea in India actually has roots since the time of the Indian mythological epics but they were not clearly documented through the centuries. Many Indian folklore claim that a special Ayurvedic blend of masala/spices were consumed in a brew form in Indian royal courts 9000 years ago. In fact, the earliest chai did not contain any tea leaves, and its recipes differed according to the seasons and available ingredients. Chai or tea gained a lot more popularity and notoriety as a result of British colonization in India.
In the early 1820s, the British East India Company began large-scale production of tea in Assam which has a long historic connection with tea. Since the 12th century, leaves of tea shrubs that grew wild in Assam were used as medicine by the Singhpo tribe. During the reign of the Ahom kings in Assam, Laal Chaa (a brew made of special wild leaves grown in Assam) was a popular welcome drink in the homes of both, royals and commoners. As the years progressed, the British East India Company took over the region from the Ahom kings through the Yandaboo Treaty. In 1840, the Assam Tea Company began the commercial production of tea in the region. Beginning in the 1850s, the tea industry rapidly expanded, consuming vast tracts of land for tea plantations. As the British empire continued to expand all over India, so did the British controlled tea plantations and soon India began exporting most of its tea production overseas.
In the early 1900s, the British-owned Indian Tea Association began to promote Indian tea consumption within India. Because black tea was the most expensive ingredient, vendors used milk, sugar, and spices to keep their brews flavorful while holding costs down, thus increasing the popularity of spiced tea. Masala chai became even more popular in India during the 1960s when a mechanized form of tea production made black tea affordable for the Indian masses.
Today India is one of the largest tea producers in the world, although over 70 percent of its tea is consumed within India itself, around 837,000 tonnes of tea every year.
What is Chai tea?
While other places around the world tend to use chai tea as a way to describe Indian chai, in Hindi (the national language of India) chai actually means tea. So in effect saying ‘chai tea’ would literally translate to ‘tea tea’! So in that same vein, masala chai translates to spiced tea. What makes an authentic cup of masala chai, is the use of spices.
Here is a recipe for making an authentic cup of masala chai just like it is served in India – from the corner street side chai stalls to the fancy hotels that serve up tea time. Regardless of where you have it, a cup of hot masala chai is the best pick-me-up any time of the day!
And a fair warning, you will not likely stop as just one cup, so go ahead and make yourself a pot full of masala chai….the Indian way.
Making the chai masala / spiced tea blend
In a country of over a billon people, you would expect many different ways of making masala chai. Nearly every household has its own special recipe. Some people use dry ginger power others use cloves. Regardless, one thing is for sure, once you make your own blend of spiced tea, you are likely never going to go back to the store bought variety!
Ingredients:
- 50 grams green cardamon
- 50 grams clove
- 20 grams cinnamon sticks
- 10 grams dry ginger powder
- 10 grams black pepper
- 3-4 bay leaves
Method:
- Mix all the spices together in a spice grinder and grind until it is a fine powder.
- Store in an air tight container and use a pinch to mix in your tea for a warming cup of masala (spiced) tea.
Making the masala chai / spiced tea drink
Chai or tea in India is essentially a blend of tea leaves, water and milk at the bare minimum. Add a pinch of masala and it becomes masala chai. Add some cardamon and it becomes Elichi chai. Add a small piece of ginger and it becomes Ginger chai. There are many variations and combinations you can try out to make your own special type of chai.
The thickness of the chai also depends on the ration of milk and water. For a thicker chai, like the Sri Lankan milk chai, add more milk and less water. For a lighter, thinner cup of chai, increase the water consistency and don’t over boil the milk with the chai leaves and water.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water (that can be adjusted depending on how thick or thin you want your tea)
- 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon of tea leaves (more for lighter variety of tea leaves, less for darker roast of tea leaves)
- 1/2 cup milk (or almond milk for a vegan masala chai)
- 1/4 teaspoon of chai masala
- Sugar or choice of sweetener
Method:
- Bring the water to a boil on a high flame
- Add the tea leaves and chai masala to the boiling water and let it simmer for a few minutes. You should be able to smell the masala flavor in the steam from the boiling water
- Add the milk
- Add the sugar or choice of sweetener to the mix
- If you want a lighter tea blend, switch off the gas and let the chai breathe for a minute or so. If you want a thicker chai blend, let the milk boil for a minute or so with the tea leaves and water.
- Strain the tea leaves with a tea strainer and pour into tea cups.
Variations of masala chai around the world
Just like there are many variations of tea recipes around the world, there are many variations of masala chai in India and elsewhere. Masala chai in India is made with black tea. In Kashmir (Northern India), green tea is used instead. Many American tearooms use loose-leaf black tea or English breakfast tea.
The milk in Indian chai is usually cow’s milk or even buffalo milk which tends to be richer and thicker in consistency. In other places around the world, skim milk is used and sometimes even almond milk or soy milk for a vegan cup of chai.
Regardless of how you make it, tea or chai is as essential as water for many people and anytime is the chai time.
If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.William Ewart Gladstone
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My morning Tonic which energizes my body for the rest of the day a heavenly treat with no other substitute Thank God
I don’t find that almond milk adds the required richness you get from milk. For vegan, I’d recommend coconut milk of a 50/50 coconut/almond blend, to add that needed richness.