I gained’t lie—I’d decide chai over coffee any day. Chai has all the time had a particular place in my coronary heart. My household has lengthy served it as a technique to welcome individuals into our dwelling and spend time with these we care about. Each time my dad or mum’s associates would cease by, even simply to drop one thing off, they’d all the time invite whoever it was in for a cup of chai. Clearly, that will then flip right into a two-hour dialog and catch-up in the lounge, however that’s inappropriate. It simply meant extra cups of chai.
My one caveat with any masala chai recipe is that everybody has their very own “greatest” model. Each aunty I do know has their very own spice proportions and strategies, however I really like each cup the identical. It’s their very own model of sharing love. Trying again now, I type of get all wispy and nostalgic about moments shared over a cozy handmade mug stuffed with chai. And since I don’t reside at dwelling anymore the place a contemporary kettle of chai was only one ask away, I needed to begin discovering my very own components.
That, expensive readers, is how we ended up right here. That is my very own model of the perfect masala chai recipe, examined through the years and tweaked to satisfy my cravings and recollections.
images by Michelle Nash
What Makes the Best Masala Chai Recipe
On my journey to finding what the best blend of chai was that I could make on my own, I went on a bit of a scavenger hunt. To say I tried every chai I could find in my city would be a bit of an exaggeration, but I did my fair share of sampling. I did everything from sampling chai at all the local coffee shops to consuming bottled choices from grocery shops to even testing a number of completely different chai concentrates and starters available on the market. So what did my style exams reveal?
1. Loads of ready-made chai is simply too candy for my preferences.
2. They’re lacking the depth of taste that comes from the co-mingling of spices, aka they’re both too ginger- or cinnamon-forward in style.
3. They don’t wrap up the sensation of getting a hug in a cup out of your aunty.
I don’t know that there’ll ever be a chai that’s as nice as your mother’s or grandmother’s model. (I swear I’ve adopted my mother’s recipe EXACTLY and it nonetheless doesn’t style pretty much as good as when she makes it.) However what I’ve put collectively right here is about as traditional as it may well get whereas additionally giving everybody room to experiment and tailor the flavors to their liking.
The Formula for Making Masala Chai
Every family I know has their own special version and secret (or not-so-secret) spice blend that makes their chai special. But for the most part, all of these masala chai recipes follow a certain formula:
- Water
- Milk
- Black tea
- Ginger
- Assorted spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves)
- Sugar
That’s the thing about chai. It’s not really a true recipe. It’s more like a set of guidelines and suggestions to follow to create a delicious cup of goodness.
Tips for Making the Tastiest Chai
While I normally make drinks without sweeteners, you absolutely need a little bit of sweetness in chai for it to taste right. Most of the spices that are used in a chai blend lean towards bitter and earthy flavors when on their own. So if you don’t add sugar and have lots of spices that are naturally bitter, you’re going to end up with a drink that’s got a little bit of kick to it, but it won’t taste quite right or like a real chai. I’m not saying you need to add a lot of sugar, but finding that balance of sweetness helps to temper the spices and smooth out the flavor.
Other notes I’ve discovered from testing gallons on gallons of chai:
- Fresh-crushed spices are leaps and bounds ahead of powdered or pre-packaged blends.
- Toasting those fresh spices make a world of difference in releasing those flavored and aromatic spice oils.
- Chopping or grating the ginger helps infuse that spicy flavor more than just slicing rounds of the root. If you prefer a subtle ginger flavor, keep as cut rounds.
- It can be so much fun trying out different spice combinations. Experiment to your heart’s content!
I like making a batch of chai to store in the fridge, serving over ice the next morning in place of an iced latte. But IMO, chai tastes best when made hot and fresh. I do hope you’ll give this a try and let me know what spice combinations and proportions you like. Chai is one of these amazing recipes that everyone can put their own signature spin on—I would love to know yours.
This post was originally published on February 16, 2020, and has since been updated.
