How To Make Chai 5 Amazing Chai Recipes My Food Story

on Aug 12, 2020 Chai. India’s most popular beverage. And monsoon just calls for chai (like you really need an excuse)! Having a cup of tea while munching on some hot pakodas is definitely everyone’s ideal rainy day. We’ve developed five chai recipes for you, guaranteed to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Exactly the kind of feeling a good cup of tea leaves you with. A good cup of tea should have a deep colour, flavour that comes from spices and the tea; bold but not bitter. Milky but not thick. Sweet but not cloying. You see how difficult a good cup of chai can be to make? That’s why we decided to do the job for you!

Spices In Tea

Spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves are amazing in a cup of masala chai. They add this gorgeous earthy, warm flavour that can leaving you feeling so satisfied. A lot of people like to make a chai masala or tea blend that they can add to their tea while brewing it, but I prefer adding freshly pounded spices instead.

Which Tea To Use

To have the ultimate cup of chai, it is important to buy good quality tea leaves. I’d always recommend buying loose long leaved teas that don’t look or feel too crumbly when you hold them. Good teas retain their aromas and smell fantastic. Having said that, I know that everyone has their preference and there are some really good boxed tea options in India. We love Wagh Bakri and swear by it for our milk teas. For black teas, we have a small collection of Darjeeling, Green and Assam tea that we love and use every once in a while.

Milk vs No Milk

Milk tea originated as an alternative to the traditional unsweetened teas, such as Assam black. Adding milk is again a personal preference. If you are brewing a cup of masala chai or ginger chai, I highly recommend adding a dash of milk. How much milk can also differ so widely. I know communities which make tea from 100% milk and won’t have it any other way. But I find those teas too thick and dense for my taste. Start by following my recipes for milk teas and then adjust the proportions to your liking. However, there are many non milk based teas that are just as good. Green tea for example is light, undergoes minimal processing and contains the greatest number of beneficial antioxidants. You’ve also got Sulaimani which is an amazing sweetened lemon and mint based tea. Prepared from black tea, the boldness is dulled by the sweetness of the sugar and the tartness of the lemon. We are also showing you an immunity boosting turmeric and lemon tea today, that’s surprisingly refreshing! And then there’s my personal favourite – Kahwa which originates from Kashmir and our blend has rose petals and saffron. Absolutely stunning! Ultimately, brew all the types of tea you can and you’ll find your perfect cup out there. How to make chai? Just watch the video below and follow these simple steps.

How To Make Chai Video

On my quest to find the perfect cup of tea, I’ve narrowed it down to these five favourites.

Masala Chai

Masala chai is my go to in the morning. The sweet and spicy smell of a steaming cup of masala chai in the morning is pure bliss.

Adrak Chai

Adrak wali chai which translates to Ginger tea is one for those classic rainy days. The ginger always makes me feel all cozy. Definitely have a cup of this to keep your worries away.

Sulaimani Chai

Sulaimani chai is the perfect finish to a heavy meal. This chai is extremely popular across the Malabar coastline. It’s super light and works effectively as a digestive aid. Binge on biryani then down one sulaimani. You deserve it!

Kashmiri Kahwa

Kahwa is a traditional non milk tea from the beautiful state of Kashmir. It is a spiced concoction made with steeped green tea and is incredibly fragrant. Kahwa was made to equip your body to the cold Kashmir weather. But it can be consumed anytime and anywhere! Saffron, various spices, dry fruits and nuts make it an immunity booster, a stress buster, a digestive aid and a cold remedy. The list just goes on and on with this one.

Turmeric Tea

Funnily enough turmeric tea is not technically a tea, cause it doesn’t use any tea leaves. It is a tisane or herbal tea. It has massive immunity boosting properties and also helps with irritable bowel syndrome. But don’t let all this put you off; you’d have to be tisane (read: insane) not to try it! Tea is nothing short of a way of life in India. I hope you all love trying out all the different and fun teas I’ve compiled for you. I hope you find your answer to the question ‘to tea or not to tea!’ in your perfect cup of tea.