Indian Masala Tea

[Kathy Marie]

Hi, jayinhk--

I tried some of your suggestions and now I can't go back--I'm addicted to cardamom! The cloves are *awfully* strong, so I've scaled way back & only add a few. Too much spice just overwhelms the tea and I don't like the flavor, so I've cut back on the fennel now I'm adding the cloves and cardamom.

And I picked up some cinnamon sticks so that's next on the docket!

It's fun experimenting, thanks again for your help!

Kathy Marie

[jayinhk]

No problem KM! I'm Indian and Nepalese, but didn't grow up drinking masala tea since I was raised in Hong Kong. I think up until I was in my 20s, I drank it three or four times! Espresso was more my thing growing up!

I woudn't dream of making masala tea without cardamom.

Cloves are very strong--I'd go light on them or add them later in the boil, and would definitely add some fennel. Cinnamon definitely is a nice addition too! Stick with it and I think you'll discover the perfect recipe for yourself

[Kathy Marie]

Jayinhk (may I call you Jay?

I've been having good fun experimenting and was excited to introduce a friend of mine to Chai Tea tonight. Now I've only made chai for myself so I just did the math for the quantity I wanted--and when I sipped it I was so disappointed!

It tasted *flat.* It tasted like a pale shadow of what I've been enjoying and I followed the recipe _exactly_.

Do I need to cook it longer if I'm making larger amounts? Or do I need more spices or tea? Or both?

I'm really just flummoxed. I'd like to serve Tom some *good* chai next time, any suggestions for me?

TIA,

Kathy Marie

[jayinhk]

Sure you can call me Jay.

Yup, you want to up the amounts of water and spices and tea--you kind of develop a feel for what you need over time. I'd try giving it the taste test before taking it off the heat to make sure it's where I want it since it's a lot like cooking. When upping the amount you make for someone when you usually drink alone, mistakes can happen until you get everything dialed in. A year from now, I'll be asking you for chai advice

[Maneki Neko]

I drink A LOT of masala tea. Almost every day.

My masala is cardamom, cinnamon (the Sri Lankan version), cloves, fennel seeds and vanilla, all whole spices. Or I use an organic brand bags which also includes black pepper.

Plain sweet milk tea is also good. That's what the Pakistanis prefer. I drank loads of it when visiting my family-in-law in Pakistan, where they make it with buffalo milk And their buffalo milk burfi is also sooooo delicious! Drool drool drool