Chai Masala & Masala Chai

 Masala chai is tea brewed with chai masala. Though 'masala chai' and 'chai masala' contain the same words in them, they are not one and the same. The order in which those two words 'chai' and 'masala' are spelled makes all the difference. The word 'Chai' stands for brewed tea in Hindi and many other Indian languages, while 'Masala' refers to the spices/spiciness. 'Masala chai' refers to the spicy tea beverage while "Chai masala' indicates the melange of spices/herbs used to accentuate the flavor quotient in a tea preparation. Chai masala can be store-bought or custom made at home to suit one's taste buds. The quantity of spices/herbs used in a chai masala depends upon individual preference / one's favored spices. One can go with a basic version such as using only ginger and/or cardamom or go with a dozen other herbs and spices. My version is the one I had come up with after a few trials, to suit my husband's preferences. It can be taken as a guideline and the quantity of spices can be changed to suit your needs, as mentioned above. And also I add fresh ginger while preparing tea even though I add the chai masala since my husband prefers a strong ginger flavor.

Ingredients for chai masala:
2 tsp. cardamom pods / about 24 cardamom pods
2 tsp. dry ginger powder
10 cloves
10 pepper corns
1" cinnamon bark

Method:
* Add all ingredients to a spice grinder / blender and grind finely. It is not a big deal if you find the cardamom husks not properly ground. Store it in an airtight container and use as needed. 

Ingredients for masala chai: (1 serving)
3/4 cup water
1" peeled and crushed ginger root (optional) 
1.5 to 2 tsp. black tea granules / leaves
1/2 tsp. chai masala or as needed
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. full fat milk
Sugar to taste (or artificial sweetener)

Method:
* Add water and ginger to a sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
* Add tea leaves / granules and chai masala. Continue to boil for about 3 to 4 minutes more.
* Next add milk and sugar and continue boiling the mixture until it starts to boil over.
* Pass it through a sieve and serve immediately.
 
Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking for BM #61.

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Adrakwali Chai / Indian Style Ginger Tea

It is not an exaggeration to say that the daily routine in every Indian household starts with boiling a pot of milk. Coffee / tea preparation is the first ritual in every home, every morning and they are prepared with a good dose of milk. Pasteurized milk is not a commonly available ingredient in India and so, the milk gets boiled properly before consumption. You see, everyone including any guests present expect their morning dose of coffee / tea while the kids are fed milk/ sugar-chocolate laden energy drinks. This all happens before serving the breakfast and so, there may be a round 2 coffee / tea session for adults after the breakfast, if time permits. And of course, there is the evening tea / coffee that is served around 4 or 5 pm along with light snacks.  
Coffee was once considered a south Indian drink while tea or chai as it is called in Hindi was associated with North Indians. Now both drinks are extensively consumed all over India and as as I mentioned above, both are milk based beverages. Indians expect a good quality tea / coffee and by default mostly use full fat milk, in portion for the preparation. Again tea preparation is subjective to one's taste preferences. The strength of the brew decides whether the tea is strong / kadak or light / feeki. One may stick to the basic version or may prefer to flavor it with spices / herbs. Tea can be made using milk alone, using milk and water in equal proportions or with more water ratio than milk. I usually go with milk and water in equal proportions whereas my husband uses more water and prefers fatfree milk. 
 
The basic tea preparation starts with boiling water. An extra amount of liquid need to be added than the final quantity of tea expected since some of the liquid gets evaporated during the tea making process. Black tea leaves / granules are then added to boiling water and allowed to simmer for few minutes before the addition of milk and sugar, the common sweetener used. The whole mixture is boiled some more time for the flavors to build up. The brew is then passed through a strainer and served piping hot. And of course plenty of variations can be created by adding herbs and spices while preparing the brew. Today's version is one such variation, that is based on fresh ginger root which is quite popular and a flavorful one. Besides, the ginger adds a healthy punch.

Ingredients for 1 serving:
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. peeled & grated / crushed fresh ginger
1.5 to 2 tsp. black tea granules (I used Brook Bond Red Label one.)
1/2 to 3/4 cup full fat milk
Sugar / Artificial sweetener to taste

Method:
* Add water and ginger to a sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
* Add tea leaves / granules and continue to boil for about 3 -4 minutes more.
* Next add milk and sugar and continue boiling the mixture until it starts to boil over.
* Pass it through a sieve and serve immediately.


 
Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking for BM #61.

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Lime Tea

I chose to go with tea recipes under the beverages theme for this week's marathon as I haven't posted even a single coffee / tea recipe on my blog so far. The reluctance on my part was mainly because I am not into either of them. My husband who was a coffee fanatic shifted to tea a few years back and I have become quite good with it in terms of preparation, rotating the variations. At any given time, we have at least half a dozen tea blends along with homemade chai masala even though officially he is the only one who consumes tea in our home.

For today's version, I  used orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea bags from Rituals. The term orange pekoe has nothing to do with the fruit but it is used in terms of grading the tea leaves. The brew would be a weak one if you follow the package directions, especially if you are used to the desi chai version. My husband usually doubles up the tea proportion and even adds a dash of milk when he uses this blend. For today's version, I went along on the lines of a nimbu chai / lemon tea recipe. I infused the brew with lemon zest to further accentuate the citrusy flavor.

Ingredients:
1 cup / 8 oz. water
1/2 tsp. lime zest (or lemon zest)
2 tea bags / 1 to 2 tsp. black tea leaves (Any black tea bags will do.)
Lime juice to taste (Start with a tsp of lime / lemon juice.)
Sweetener of your choice to taste

Method:
* Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan. 
* Add the lime zest and black tea leaves and let it boil on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. If using tea bags, place the tea bags in the boiling water and steep for about 3 to 4 minutes. Or adjust the brewing time to your taste. Turn off the stove.
* Stir in the lime juice and sweetener that is being used. taste and adjust the flavors if needed. Pass through a tea strainer and serve.

 
Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #61.

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