The Best Chai Recipe

GUYS, if you know me you know there is one thing I start my morning off with every single day and that thing is CHAI! Not only do I start my morning off with it, I have it after dinner, at night, with lunch if I am home… pretty much any chance I get I am drinking chai because its just my absolute favourite drink! In this post I will teach you how to make chai the way my family drinks it, simple yet absolutely delicious.

WHAT IS CHAI?

The direct translation of “chai” from Urdu/Hindi (and many other languages) to English is “tea”. This is why when people say “chai tea” it is redundant because this means “tea tea” so you can simply say chai!

Anyways, I think drinking chai is such an essential part of enjoying South Asian cuisine because it is the perfect representation of South Asian hospitality. Whenever you go to somebodies house you are always offered chai, or in my families case are not allowed to leave without drinking it!

There are many different types of chai including Masala chai, Kashmiri chai, etc. These can taste pretty different but the concept is generally the same, chai is black tea usually with milk. On top of that various spices and other elements can be added, but for me I prepare chai in what I would consider its simplest (and best) form… just black tea, milk, and cardamom!

CHAI RECIPE

STEP 1

Pour a mug’s worth of chai (~500 mL) into a chai pot or any other regular small pot

I would highly recommend getting a chai pot though because once you prepare chai at home you’re going to want to have it everyday, so it’s very convenient to have a dedicated pot!

STEP 2

Add two black tea bags, or a tablespoon of loose leaf black tea, and 4 crushed cardamom pods and put burner on max heat

I personally recommend using Tapal Danedar Black Tea, every South Asian grocery store should carry it and in my opinion it is DEFINITELY the best brand!

Note: you can always add more or less black tea depending on how strong you prefer it. The great thing about South Asian cooking is that there are no rules when it comes to measurements!

STEP 3

Bring chai to boil

STEP 4

Add milk to the pot to taste (around half a cup should be good if you’re not sure) and decrease the heat to medium

You can also add sugar at this point to taste (or add no sugar at all)

STEP 5

Wait until the chai is just boiling before pouring it into your mug

Use a strainer to prevent the bits of cardamom from getting into your mug

STEP 6

Enjoy your chai!

I would recommend having it with your favourite biscuits (I will make a whole post on my favourite biscuits in the future) or cake rusk!

Also feel free to add frothed milk on top. I have started doing it recently and its a nice little addition if you are feeling fancy. It also looks beautiful served in a glass mug like this with a layer of frothed milk on top!

There you have it guys, my chai recipe! This is something I have been making my entire life because it is just so delicious and is such a big part of my culture. It’s also perfect as a morning boost if you don’t enjoy coffee too much but at the same time doesn’t have so much caffeine so you can also enjoy it in the evening! Let me know what you think and make sure to check out my other posts for more recipes and foodie content!