5 Chai Recipes to warm your cups and your hearts!

Chai has a special place in our hearts. When we talk about chai, we are often reminded of happy conversation, college mornings, crunchy biscuits and a lot more! Tea has been a major part of all Indian households and most of us have this endearing habit of not leaving our homes before that morning cup of chai!

Each house, region, area, state and country has its own tea variation/recipe  and each is special in its own style. While the origin of tea in India is highly debated, legend has it that tea was carried along with the silk caravans when it was discovered by an Indian ruler. Other stories suggest that a tea plant was smuggled into India from China by a Scottish Mandarin or was introduced to the locals by the britishers. Hence, the history of chai has many theories. 

India is the second largest tea producer in the world with production of over 1346 million kgs. It is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water!

While most of the tea produced (70%)  is consumed within the country itself, the variety grown and produced in India remain exclusive. Tea variants like the Assam and Darjeeling tea remain extremely popular across the world.

Did you know?

There are approximately 3000 different types of tea in the world! 

Out of the many types of teas and the thousands of recipes we have come up with over the years, we bring you five unique recipes that you might like. 

We suggest all the tea lovers to try these recipes out and switch their regular cup of chai for a little fun and froth!

Source: ohhowcivilized.com

Made from scratch and at home, this recipe is the one you will find yourself making again and again! 

Ingredients:

Spices-  cinnamon sticks, star Anise, cardamom pods, whole cloves, ground nutmeg, ground ginger.

Black tea for base (you can use tea bags, loose tea, sachets)

Water

Vanilla Extract

Honey (as sweetener)

Milk of choice (regular, almond, oat, soy)

Steps:

1. Crush or roughly chop all spices, add them to a cup of water,honey and black tea(we used loose tea) and let the ingredients simmer in a saucepan. 
2. Strain the solids and add vanilla extract. Let it cool in the refrigerator for an hour or the freezer for a few minutes. This is your chai concentrate.
3. In a cup full of ice, pour one part chai concentrate and one part milk.
4. Enjoy!

Tip- Use whole spices instead of ground for better flavour.

Sulaimani Chai 

Source: cookingfromheart.com

A famous tea known for its digestive benefits, Sulaimani chai is very popular along the malabar coastline. A Sulaimani after a plate full of biryani is the protocol in many areas of the malabar!

Ingredients:

1 cup of water

¾ tsp of ginger

1 cardamom 

1 clove

½ tsp tea leaves

1 tsp jaggery

½ tsp lemon juice

2-3 mint leaves

Steps:

1. Using a mortar and pestle lightly crush all the whole spices together. Crush ginger separately and keep aside.
2. In a saucepan,  boil a cup of water and bring it to boil. Add the crushed spices, ginger and tea leaves and allow it to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the jaggery (or sugar) along with freshly squeezed lime juice and mint leaves.
4. Strain and serve hot!

Tip - Do not steep the tea leaves for too long as it might leave a bitter taste.

Tibetan Tea/ Butter Tea

Source: drukgirl.com

Commonly known as Suja and Tibetan Tea  in Bhutan and Tibet respectively, this variant of chai has a salty taste unlike the sweet taste of the traditional Indian chai. Among the many benefits this butter tea has,  a warming effect on the body, increased energy levels and moisturised skin and better digestion are a few of the popular benefits. 

Ingredients:

2 pinches of Tea Leaves

2 cubes of Unsalted Butter

Quarter cup of Milk

Pinch of Salt

2 ½ cups of Water.

Steps:

1. Boil the water in a saucepan and add tea leaves. After boiling for a couple of minutes, strain out the leaves.
2. Combine the tea, salt, butter and milk in a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes. 
3. Pour it in a cup and enjoy.

Kashmiri Kahwa

Source: whiskaffair.com

Kashmiri Kahwa is a delicacy of the Kashmir Valley. It is a non milk, spiced concoction that is deliciously aromatic and equips the body to the cold chilling Kashmir weather. The many immunity boosting ingredients like saffron, dry fruits and nuts make it a perfect digestive aid, cold remedy and stress buster.

Ingredients:

1 cup Water

1 Green Cardamom

1 Clove

1 inch Cinnamon

3-4 Rose Petals

4-5 strands of Saffron

1 Tsp Sugar

Steps:

1. Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush all the whole spices and keep them aside.
2. In a saucepan, boil a cup of water and add the crushed spices along with rose petals and saffron. 
3. Boil for 5-7 mins, add sugar and turn off the heat.
4. Add green tea leaves/green tea bags and cover the saucepan. 
5. Let it steep for 3 mins, uncover, strain and serve hot.

Classic Adrak Wali Chai

Source: ministryofcurry.com

Adrak Wali Chai meaning Ginger Tea is a classic beverage that most Indians opt for. The aroma of crushed ginger boiling with tea and sugar is unmatched. Adrak wali chai and moong dal ke pakode is a match made in a heaven on a rainy day.

Ingredients:

1 cup Water

1.5 inch Ginger

2 ½ tsp Tea leaves

1-2 Tsp Sugar

Milk

Steps:

1. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the ginger to extract its juice. 
2. In a saucepan, bring a cup of water to boil and add ginger and tea leaves and sugar . Let it simmer for 5-7 mins.
3. This can be served immediately as black tea after straining. For those who enjoy milk tea can add in milk (as per choice), simmer it for a minute, strain and serve hot. The tea tastes heavenly for both these preferences

Tips- Sugar can be substituted with jaggery. 

Steeping the leaves for longer can make the tea bitter. 

Classic Masala Chai

Source: theflavorbender.com

India lives and breathes masala chai. When I say this, I am not exaggerating. Every chai tapri at the corner of every street serves this classic beverage to the people on the go. Masala chai is preferred and enjoyed by a majority of chai lovers. A classic, masala chai is a concoction of simplicity, spices and bliss!

Ingredients:

1 cup Water

2 teaspoon Tea Leaves

3 Green Cardamoms

2 Cloves

½ inch piece Cinnamon

3 Peppercorn

1-2 teaspoon Sugar

¾ cup Milk

Steps:

1. Crush all the whole spices with the help of a mortar and pestle. 
2. In a saucepan boil one cup of water and add in the crushed spices, tea leaves and sugar. Let it simmer for 5-7 mins to absorb flavour and colour. 
3. Add in the milk and let it simmer for another 1-2 mins. 
4. Strain and enjoy hot along with your favourite biscuits.

Experiment and enjoy these chai recipes and let us know which recipe you loved best in the comment sections!