Chai To Me
Are you a tea or coffee person? I am 100% a tea person. To be honest, I thought I would always drink either plain milk or chocolate milk, and I even promised myself to not drink coffee or tea just because I considered it a sign of growing up. Now, I’m happy that I drink tea because I was missing out on some great drinks back then. If I feel sick, my parents would give me some hot ginger chai to ease a sore throat or sinus from a cold. Although now I do prefer to have chai because it doesn’t make me feel sleepy like chocolate milk, I like to be open to other caffeinated beverages. Lately, I have been into matcha green tea and Thai tea.
My chai recipe is heavily based on how my grandparents and parents make chai and how much time/ingredients I have at the moment. Ideally, I like to add a mix of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves along with fresh mint and grated ginger, but if I am low on time or ingredients, I skip out on some steps. In honor of getting 10K views on my reel on Instagram where I make chai, here is the detailed recipe. Check out my Instagram if you’re interested in seeing that video!
THE RECIPE: Neha's Masala Chai
Total Time: 10 minutes | Serving Size: 2 |
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup of water
3-4 mint leaves
½-1 tsp grated ginger
2-4 tsp black tea
½ tsp cinnamon powder
2-4 crushed cloves
2-4 crushed cardamon
1 cup of milk of your choice
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place a small pan with the water on medium/high heat on a stove. Let the water warm up for about a minute.
Then, add the grated ginger and fresh mint leaves to the water.
Once the water reaches a boil, add the black tea. Wait for about five minutes to let the tea cook fully.
Once the tea is properly cooked, add milk to the pan. Let the tea reach a boil. When the tea is golden brown, it is done.
Sprinkle the cinnamon powder and crushed cloves and cardamom into the milk and mix.
Strain the tea and enjoy!
While this recipe is how I make my chai, it is not a “chai recipe.” Chai recipes are very diverse and people generally add toppings, spices, and quantities of ingredients that align with their preferences. Some people like to add, for example, black pepper, sugar, star anise, turmeric, and rose. I encourage you to try out new toppings and find what flavors work for you! To get to know what you all like in terms of tea flavors and types of tea, I’ve posted 2 polls below:
What are your top chai flavors?
cinnamon
cardamom
ginger
black pepper
You can vote for more than one answer.
What's your favorite tea?
chai
matcha/green tea
earl grey
Thai tea
You can vote for more than one answer.
Wondering what to do with the strained tea leaves? You can use this as a fertilizer for some plants, so check out what plants you have in your home/garden and whether they would benefit from a tea fertilizer!
Thanks for reading! Let me know what your chai/tea recipe is and send me pictures if you decide to recreate my chai!
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