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Easy Masala Chai

At all of India’s roadside stalls, Masala Chai is served already sweetened. I have added about 1 teaspoon sugar per cup in this recipe, which makes the tea just mildly sweet. You may double that amount, if you prefer.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

1/16 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/16 teaspoon clove powder
1/16 teaspoon cardamom powder (if you do not have it, throw in 4 cardamom pods)
1/16 teaspoon ginger powder
4–5 generous grinds of the pepper grinder
3 tea bags of good, unflavored black tea (I use PG Tips)
2 cups whole milk
4 teaspoons sugar

Preparation

  1. Put 3 cups water in a pan. Add the cinnamon, clove, cardamom, ginger, pepper, and tea bags. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to very, very low, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar. Stir and bring to a simmer. Pour through a fine strainer and serve.

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Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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