Indian Spiced Tea

Spices are always available in my little kitchen, we have spices ever ready in the kitchen as my mother-in-law and I love to cook dishes with spices. If you have been following my blog posts for long time, you will realize that I love to use spices in my cooking especially, braising meat, mushroom or bean curd and also pan-grilled chicken. We just can't resist the fragrant smell and scrumptious taste of a pot of meat braised with spices. Tomota Rice is also one of our favourite dish using the aromatic spices in it. This round I am keen to explore other culture traditional recipes using spices instead.

My mother-in-law is good in cooking Indian dishes with freshly pound spices at home. Thus, it inspired me to explore Indian recipes with spices, and I started making Indian spiced tea (Masala Chai) 6 months ago. She and I love to have masala chai occasionally with fresh cow's milk we ordered from an Indian man that delivers the fresh milk at your door steps! How lovely and convenient! In my country, fresh cow's milk can be deliver everyday or every week mostly by an Indian man to your house especially in the village area. But, now you can find them in the town housing area too. We have been ordering from this Indian man for long time as the milk that he delivered is fresh and the price is reasonable. Thus, we use this fresh milk to make Indian spiced tea more often recently. The spices fragrant smell with fresh and smooth milk, give you a heart-warming spiced tea especially after a heavy lunch or during tea time. I prefer my spiced tea to be less sweet with more ginger and spices taste. You may also substitute fresh cow's milk with pre-packed fresh/full cream milk. Nevertheless, you may incorporate your favourite spices, such as fennel seeds or peppercorn into this tea, it is quite versatile indeed. See below for variant combination of spices for spiced tea.


Information of Indian spiced tea:
"Masala chai means "spiced tea" is the beverage from the Indian subcontinent made by brewing tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs. There is no fixed recipe or preparation method for masala chai and many families have their own versions of the tea. The tea leaves (or tea dust) steep in the hot water long enough to extract intense flavor, ideally without releasing the bitter tannins. Because of the large range of possible variations, masala chai can be considered a class of tea rather than a specific kind. However, all masala chai has the following four basic components; Tea, sweetener, milk and spices. The traditional masala chai is a bracing, strongly spiced beverage brewed with so-called "warm" spices. Most masala chai incorporates one or more of the following: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel seeds, peppercorn, and cloves. In India, fresh ginger is often used." Reference here

"Ginger helps to ease sore throats, along with cold and flu symptoms, and it can also calm an upset stomach. Cloves have traditionally been used as an invigorating spice, and they may promote circulation as well. Cinnamon is a common stimulant, while cardamom eases indigestion and helps to calm the consumer. Pepper also promotes healthy digestion. For people who experience indigestion after Indian food, a cup of chai might be a great help. You can read more health benefit of drinking Masala chai here."

Some of my previous recipes using spices:
Grilled Chicken with Spices
Braised Pork ribs with Spices
Braised Pork ribs with Mushroom
Braised Pork Belly with Spices
Tomato Rice

Makes 2 large glasses or 3 medium glasses Ingredients: 250ml Water 250ml Fresh cow's milk (I used Indian milk) 2 tbsp Dried tea leaves 1.5 tsp Sugar (adjust to your taste) * You may substitute with honey 5cm long fresh Ginger, chopped or bruise it 1 long Cinnamon stick 6 Cardamon, crushed 2 Star Anise 6 Cloves Method: 1. Bring water to a boil. Add in ginger and boil for 2 min in low fire. 2. Add in the spices and tea leaves, boil for another 5 mins in low fire or until it is fragrant. 3. Add in sugar and fresh milk, simmer for another min. Stir gently. 4. Off the fire when the milk is just boiled. Serve warm. Note: • You may add more fresh ginger or spices if you prefer a strong taste. • Adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste. For this recipe, the fresh cow's milk has natural sweet taste, so I just added 1.5 tsp of sugar. • A thin layer of coating will appear when the tea cool down if you are using fresh cow's milk or (Indian milk). Just remove the layer with a teaspoon. • Fresh cow's milk or (Indian milk) has more creamy taste compared to packet carton milk. • Substitute white sugar with honey for a healthier choice.