chai guru chai: a spicy goat milk masala chai
Over the years, I have to tried to emulate my Chai Guru’s chai, but could never match it. This recipe is my own humble rendition of my very first cup of chai. (Click on Jenny’s recipe card above to see larger or click here to download and print.) Enjoy.
spicy goat milk masala chai
–Makes ~6 10oz. cups–
Ingredients
6 cups water
3 cups goat milk
1/3 cup maple syrup (-or- 1/2 cup if you like it sweet -or- to taste; can substitute other sweetener)
3 black tea bags -OR- 3 tsp. CTC tea -OR- 6 tsp. Assam whole leaf grade tea
1/3 cup (grated) fresh ginger
1″ cinnamon stick
7 each black, white and red whole peppercorns
7 cloves
7 allspice (pimento) berries
15 green cardamom pods -OR- 1 tsp. decorticated (shell removed) cardamom
Small pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Saffron for garnish
Recipe
1. Stop. Breathe. Smile.
2. Fill pot with water and put over high heat.
3. Grate ginger and add to pot. (You can also slice thinly or smash in a mortar and pestle)
4. Grind cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, allspice and cardamom in a mortar and pestle or spice/coffee grinder and add to pot
5.Grate nutmeg into pot
6.Bring to boil, then reduce flame and simmer for around 15 minutes
7.Add goat milk, tea and maple syrup.
8.Turn to high heat until it comes to a rapid boil then remove from heat.
9.Strain into second pot, pour into serving cups, garnish with a few strands of saffron and offer to your Beloved Friend.
We never came across any goat milk chai in India, but here’s a goat we encountered in Benares, the morning after Shivaratri, enjoying offerings made to the Shiva Lingum.
oh goodness jenny, i LOVE the recipe card, especially the fact that i can now download and print this. thank you! this goes on my kitchen wall.
11 Nov 2008 at 9:34 pm
Looking at the ingredients, it looks like a whole meal
I must try it sometime.
12 Nov 2008 at 8:34 am
i like the first part of the recipe..Stop Breath and Smile…
13 Nov 2008 at 1:04 am
thanks for the nice comments! glad you like the art, and i think you’ll love the recipe. it’s super YUM!
16 Nov 2008 at 8:07 pm
I just made the chai using soy instead of goat milk. A definite keeper. I forgot about adding the mantras, however, which is a shame. I have been making chai for years at home, and this is a great recipe!Thanks for the post.
19 Nov 2008 at 11:43 am
hi Gary! so glad you liked the recipe. patrick tried a lot of different variations before settling on this as the ‘best’. of course all were yummy which just proves that every chai wallah should experiment with the spicing (and milk and sweetner) to make it their own. we’re just trying to show what we think are particularly tastey combos as a jumping off point. in reality, we never use recipes in our house—and every batch is unique and a surprise.
19 Nov 2008 at 6:11 pm
Thank you so much for this! I found it from a google alert for “goat” and had to go out and buy all of the ingredients to go with my goat milk. I’m now drinking a cup. Yumm!
22 Nov 2008 at 12:28 pm
very excited to see a recipe with goats milk…. a local coffee shop near my home always laughs at me when i bring my own cup in with a little splash of goats milk already at the bottom… and thinks i’m even nuttier when i suggest they offer the option for other customers……………by the way, quentin really wants a world map in his room……. hope you all are well!!
26 Jan 2009 at 10:04 am