Ingredients
Spiced tea
- 240 ml water 1 cup
- 2 black tea bags about 4 g tea total
- 1 cinnamon stick about 3 g
- 4 green cardamom pods about 1 g
- 2 whole cloves about 0.3 g
- 4 black peppercorns about 0.2 g
- 12 g fresh ginger thinly sliced
- 8 g granulated sugar 2 teaspoons
Milk
- 360 ml whole milk 1 1/2 cups
Equipment
- Two small saucepans
- Mortar and pestle or sturdy rolling pin
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Whisk or handheld milk frother
- Measuring jug and two mugs
Instructions
Infuse the tea
- Lightly crack the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin. Break the spices into a few pieces; do not grind them to powder.
- Put the cracked spices, sliced ginger and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and cover. Steep for 4 minutes, then remove the bags without squeezing them.
- Strain the infusion through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring jug. Discard the whole spices and ginger, then stir the sugar into the hot tea.
Warm the milk and serve
- Warm the milk in the second saucepan over medium-low heat until hot with small bubbles around the edge; do not bring it to a rolling boil. Whisk vigorously or use a handheld frother to form a fine, soft foam.
- Divide the spiced tea between two mugs, add the hot milk and spoon the foam over the top. Taste before adding any extra sweetener. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Video credit: The Cooking Foodie. The linked chai demonstration uses different proportions and boils the tea with the milk; this recipe steeps the tea off the heat and warms the milk separately.
Contains milk and caffeine. For a dairy-free variation, choose a suitable unsweetened plant drink; foaming and flavor vary by product. Whole spices are strained out before serving.
Cost is an estimate of US$1.10 for the whole two-serving recipe, based on the portions of pantry ingredients used; shopping location and brands change the total.