In the book The Spice Lover's Guide to Herbs & Spices (John Wiley & Sons, 2004) author Tony Hill offers an explanation of chai: "But what is chai exactly? The word simply means tea in Hindi, and it refers to the classic railway tea of India, prepared with a mix of local spices and milk in almost every train station throughout the country."
This chai recipe creates 4 servings of spiced tea. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, for a day or two, and reheated in the microwave. A strong black tea, such as English breakfast, or Earl Grey should be used when making chai tea blend. Green teas and herbal teas, are much too delicate to stand up to the strong spices and flavorings used to create traditional chai.
Chai Tea Blend Ingredients
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 star anise pod
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons black tea leaves
- 3 cups boiling water
Chai Tea Blend Directions
- Break open the cardamom pods, remove the seeds, and add the seeds to a mortar.
- Add the cinnamon stick, star anise and black peppercorns to the mortar.
- Roughly crush the spices in the mortar using a pestle.
- Add the crushed spices to a stainless steel or mesh tea ball.
- Add the milk to a small pan placed over medium low heat.
- Stir in the sugar and vanilla.
- Add the tea ball filled with spices to the pan.
- Continue steeping the spices in the milk mixture, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, and the milk is heated through.
- While the milk and spice mixture is steeping, add the black tea leaves to a teapot.
- Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil.
- Pour the boiling water over the tea leaves and let steep for 5-7 minutes.
- To finish the chai, place approximately 3/4 cup of the prepared tea into a large tea cup or coffee mug.
- Pour 1/3 cup of the spiced milk mixture into the mug.
- Add additional sugar if desired.
Recipes Tips and Suggestions
1. Tea bags can be substituted for the loose tea leaves. Use one tea bag in place of each teaspoon of loose tea leaves.
2. A dairy-free, vegan version of the chai tea blend can be made for anyone that is lactose intolerant. Substitute soy, almond or rice milk for the skim milk. If using vanilla soy, rice or almond milk, eliminate the honey. Vanilla non-dairy milks already have sugar added to them.
3. A spiced chai coffee can be created by substituting ground coffee for the black tea leaves. Use 1 tablespoon of coffee grinds for every cup of coffee that is being made. Use a coffee maker or French press to make the coffee. Mix the prepared coffee with the flavored, heated milk
4. Honey can be substituted for the sugar if desired.
5. Other spices, such as whole cloves, allspice and dried orange peel, can be added to the chai.
Pre-made Chai Tea Blends
Commercial blends of chai tea can be found at grocery stores and specialty food stores. Pre-made chai mixtures usually have the spices mixed together with loose tea leaves. Add one teaspoon of the pre-made chai blend to a tea pot, for every serving of chai being made. Brew the tea as normal, then add milk and sugar to taste.
When using a pre-made chai blend, shake or mix the blend together before each use, to ensure the spices are evenly mixed along with the tea leaves. The different types of spices, used in pre-made chai tea blends, have a tendency to separate into layers the longer the mixture is stored.
Additional Beverage Recipes
The Hot Holiday Drinks article contains recipes on how-to create spiced hot chocolate, spiced coffee and peppermint mocha. The Vanilla Bean Dessert article contains three recipes, including how to make a vanilla infused hot chocolate.
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