Masala chai or Indian spiced tea

In this article, I’m sharing my favorite Indian Chai tea recipe. I’m including a traditional version with cow’s milk and a completely vegan version. Enjoy!

Masala chai

First of all, I want to assure you that this is the chai recipe I drink every day after practice and the one I offer to my students at every gathering in the shala. It’s probably one of the reasons many come to the guided Sunday classes: I always have it ready.

I’m a coffee lover, but for this chai, I make an exception!

I tried my first masala chai, as it’s called in India, during my first trip to Mysore in 2013. We arrived at dawn after an endless journey that had started the day before in Madrid. I still remember the fog that enveloped the landscape of palm trees and rice fields.

Sitting in the taxi that took me from the airport to the city of Mysore, I saw human figures wandering through the night, alongside cows, dogs, and trash… yes, a lot of trash.

Shanties alternated with unfinished houses. Sometimes modern buildings and highways suddenly gave way to remote rural villages. Urban chaos, human chaos—the chaos of chaos… and yet there was an impeccable order. Everything seemed to function perfectly on that magical night.

When the first light of day began to touch our faces, I could see with awakened eyes the colors of the houses, the faces of the people… and again the trash. Yes, the trash that burns on the streets at night. The smoke that I poetically imagined as mist enveloping the surroundings was not fog: it was dioxin. Its smell seeped through the cracks of that old taxi. That odor is what welcomes you in India, a toxic smell that somehow always ties you to that place.

But fortunately, it’s not the only scent that connects you to India. There are worse smells, which I’ll spare you in this post, and divine smells, which I do want to share here.

Around five in the morning, on that distant November 29, I finally arrived in Mysore, the Mecca of yoga, the sacred land of Ashtanga. I remember every detail of that first trip, even the mantras the taxi driver played on the radio during that long journey we shared. Everything felt magical. That toxic smell of dioxin intoxicated me along with the mantras, the street noise, that mixture of life and death so fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Oh, beloved India, I loved you from the first instant.

The taxi dropped us off at the Coconut Stand, an emblematic place in Gokulam, Mysore, where yogis from all over the world drink fresh coconut water after practice.

Guru, that was the name of the man at the Coconut Stand, who, along with his son Prasad, also sold straws and chai.

The best chai in Mysore.

And it was there, among goats, cows, cars, and yogis, that my love affair with masala began.

Masala is the general name that Indians give to any ground spice mixture. Depending on the use, it has different names:

• Garam masala: a blend of warming spices like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and cumin.

• Masala chai: tea with milk and spices.

• Chicken tikka masala: chicken in spiced sauce.

Generally, each family has its own masala recipe.

Today I want to share with you my Masala chai recipe, refined after many trips to India, countless chais… and yes, also plenty of dioxin.

In another post, I’ll share more anecdotes from that first adventure in India. For now, here’s this wonderful and aromatic Masala chai recipe.

Enjoy!

Palacio Real Mysore

Masala Chai

Ingredientes para dos tazas (sube en proporción si haces para más)

• Ingredients for two cups (increase proportionally for more servings)

  
  

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup milk (cow’s milk or plant-based; the higher the fat content, the creamier the chai)

  • 2 cardamom pods (dried)

  • 1 star anise (dried)

  • 2 teaspoons black tea (must be strong and of lower quality; I use PG Tips. Do not use fine leaf tea or delicate teas)

  • 2 pinches of homemade chai masala (recipe below)

  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

    
    

  I like it without sugar, but in India it’s taken very, very sweet!

  
  

Masala Mix

Put all the spices in a grinder in equal parts (you can adjust proportions depending on how strong you like each flavor. For example, I always add more cinnamon). Grind until you get a homogeneous powder.

I usually make a large batch and store it in an airtight jar.

• Cardamom

• Clove

• Cinnamon (stick or powder)

• Black pepper, optional (I don’t use it)

  
  

How to make Masala Chai

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, put the water and directly add the black tea, cardamom, star anise, and homemade masala. Let it simmer for 5–10 minutes.

2. When it boils, lower the heat and add the milk. Let it simmer on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes, but be careful not to boil the milk, or the taste changes—especially if you use cow’s milk.

3. Add the grated fresh ginger and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

4. Serve hot and enjoy!