Get the Flash Player

How to Make Chai Tea

Posted on July 23rd, 2009 by Elaine
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Republish                

If you’re tired of the usual Earl Grey or lemon tea people serve, one delicious alternative is Chai tea or “masala chai”. Originating from Indian and Pakistan, this tasty beverage has become a popular drink to tea lovers all over the world. The good news is, you can make it in the comfort of your home.

What You’ll Need:

  • One whole star anise
  • Orange peel
  • Fresh ginger
  • 4 pieces of Cinnamon bark, each one at least 1 ½ inch
  • 10 whole cloves
  • A teaspoon of cardamom seeds
  • Five peppercorns
  • Five cups of water
  • A teaspoon of vanilla
  • Three cups of skim milk
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 1/4 cup of black tea leaves
  • Cheesecloth and string
  • Sieve
  • Grater
  • Tea pot

Procedure:

  1. Purchase all the ingredients. Many of these, like the tea, ginger and cloves, can be bought at regular supermarkets or groceries. Some, though, might be hard to find. Try looking for them in Asian shops or health stores.

    2. chai tea

  2. Prepare your herbs and flavorings. Break the star anise into small pieces, and grate the fresh ginger and the orange peel. As much as possible, use fresh ones. The fresher your ingredients are, the more delicious your tea will be.
  3. Get the grated peel, star anise, ginger, cinnamon bark, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom, and put them together in the cheesecloth, bundled snugly. Seal the cheesecloth with a piece of string. Make sure the cloth and string are clean. This is what you call a “bouquet garni”.
  4. Put the five cups of water in a tea pot, then put the bouquet garni in. Tie one end of the string to the tea pot’s handle; this will make it easy for you to remove the bouquet later.
  5. Put the water over a stove, then bring to a boil. Once it does, lower the heat, allowing the liquid to simmer. You don’t want to put the tea leaves in boiling water, because it makes the beverage bitter.
  6. Add the tea leaves and allow the pot to simmer for 15 more minutes.
  7. Take out your bouquet garni, untying it from the pot’s handle. Afterwards, use a sieve to strain the liquid and take out the tea leaves.
  8. Add in the skim milk, honey, and vanilla, for a richer flavor.
  9. Serve the tea. Hot is traditional, but if you want a cold drink, just pour it over some crushed ice.

Some Tips:

  • Experiment by using green or white tea, or soy milk instead of skim. Use a different sweetener, if you like.
  • Nutmeg, cocoa, chocolate or safron can also be added to the tea, to give it an interesting flavor.
  • Empty tea bags can be used for the bouquet garni, if you don’t have any cheesecloth. Just purchase them from a tea shop.

A chai infusion is a great alternative for regular tea drinkers. Get the pot boiling, follow these steps, and you’ll soon have a lovely and flavorful concoction to drink.

Ask a question


Powered by Ask A Question

     

    Comments