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.
Amidst the traffic of rickshaws, motor scooters, market goers and a small herd of water buffalo being led down the road, we discover the popular Pappu Chai Shop. Early in the day, it is a gathering place for elder intellectual types who read the newspaper, debate political issues and get their morning dose. After hours, it becomes a hang out for bhang (edible marijuana) users. We were told this chai stand has been here for 80 or 100 years.
We sit down outside on a low concrete wall next to Ashu, a regular customer and owner of Shiva Rooftop Restaurant down the street. Over the noise of honking cars and bicycle bells, we ask him what makes Pappu chai so special. “Because it is hygienic,” he tells us. “They clean the gilaas [hindi for glass] every time by the hot water. It is unique way. You will never see like this one.” It is true. In all our time in India we have never witnessed soap or hot water being used to clean glasses or any chai-making implement. We observe as a young boy first rinses the glasses in cold water like other chai stalls, then gives them a thorough cleansing with hot water that has been boiled on an open fire. The health of chai drinkers across India would surely benefit from this trademark disinfecting method.
Manoj operates his chai stall with precision, speed and dexterity. A third generation chai wallah, he employs an unconventional chai making technique handed down from his grandfather. Instead of making a pot of chai, each glass is prepared individually in an assembly line fashion. First, he carefully calculates the number of glasses by a count of seated customers, expected regulars and estimated drop-ins. The glasses are then grouped together into three parallel rows and a spoonful of sugar is put in the bottom of each glass. Hot milk is then ladled on top of the sugar. Manoj measures the tea by hand into a tea “sock,” with tea carefully being added or taken out to suit the amount of glasses being made. Boiling water is then slowly poured over the tea until it is fully saturated and the tea water starts to come through. When the flowing tea has a dark, rich color, it is quickly passed over the glasses with one hand while hot water is poured from a kettle in the other hand. He first moves the filtered tea long-ways over the line of glasses, then back and forth. A little more tea is added, then again across the glasses. The chai is made from “new tea every time — not boiling again and again.”
We learn that Manoj makes around 700-800 glasses of chai per day from 5am until 10pm. We ask Ashu, “how much per glass?” He answers, “2 rupees,” and before I could do the dollar conversion of take off the zero and divide by 4, the chai wallah starts laughing and talking to us. Ashu translates, “There are many customers that come every day and they are friends and take chai free. Many one is coming here and many crowd and he’ll give you chai and [snaps fingers] “challo” (meaning let’s go) — not paying the money. But they’re not caring about these things because they’re very much very good fellows.”
Finally, Manoj stirs each glass vigorously, with the rhythm and calm fervor of a classical Indian drummer. The ‘clink-clanking’ of the metal spoon against glass is like a dinner bell to the customers. In the madness of anxious hands grabbing for their glasses, Manoj hands us our chai. It is dark, bold and on the edge of being too bitter. I like it. Even though the tea is not boiled like most, it bears a distinctive strong tea flavor that provides quite a wake up call. We attempt to give Manoj 4 rupees for our chais but he just shakes his head and smiles.
There’s a gazillion ways to make masala chai. Once you get the hang of it, you can create customized blends depending on your personal taste, the time of day, or the occasion. We like a thick, milky chai for breakfast. For kids, a “chai-less masala chai,” that is, everything but the black tea, can be a healthy treat. For your lover, sweeten it with maple syrup, spice it up with cinnamon and adorn with saffron – mmmmm.
Chai formulas can change with the seasons, too. On a hot summer day, throw in some cooling coriander seeds or even fresh mint – but forget about the cloves and black pepper. In the winter, if you are sick with a cold, flu or congestion, make a warming, gingery batch. The masala chai tradition began this way centuries ago with grandmothers using spice decoctions as home remedies – later tea was added.
Everyone can enjoy chai. Even if you don’t drink black tea or milk or use sugar, you can substitute herbal teas like rooibos, milk alternatives like soy or rice milk and natural sweeteners such as maple syrup, sucanat or licorice root. There are endless combinations and nuances. In upcoming posts, we will offer insight into traditional and non-traditional ingredients, various preparation techniques, health value of the spices and tips we picked up in our travels. We hope this will enhance your appreciation for chai as you experiment and evolve with your own creative chai-making. Here is a simple recipe to get you started, in case you’ve never prepared your own masala chai.
5 cups water
1/4 cup loosely packed, grated fresh ginger
1” cinnamon stick
1 cup organic whole milk
1/4 cup raw sugar (like Sucanat)
10 green cardamom pods
4 tsp. loose Assam tea (or 4 tea bags)
makes 5 8-ounce cups
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Pour water into pot and put over high heat.
Grate fresh ginger with a cheese grater and add to pot.
Break cinnamon stick, add to pot and stir.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Thoroughly grind cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle or spice/coffee grinder.
Add milk, sugar and cardamom to the masala and stir.
Increase heat and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
Add tea, stir and cover.
Steep tea for 3-5 minutes depending on desired potency, then immediately strain into separate pot to avoid over-steeping.
