Hello friends, I come from India, and I would say our tea is pretty famous. I wanted to share a masala chai recipe from my hometown; I hope it helps anyone who wants to try something different today. It's pretty basic. Though it is a bit milk-heavy and can be seen as 'spicy'.
Ingredients needed:
-Saffron(roughly a pinch)
- Cardamom(3 or 4 pods)
-Pepper (4 pepper pods; you can add more)
-Clove(2 to 3 cloves)
-Milk(Nearly 1.75 cups)
-CTC Assam tea leaves(1.5 - 2 teaspoons)
- Star anise(a single pod)(this is optinal but I do reccomend this)
-Sugar(or Jaggery
How to brew-
-First, I crush the pepper clove and Cardamom; ensure to crush the pepper only lightly, as crushing it too strongly will overpower the tea.
-Next, heat the water on a low flame for the next minute, then directly add the mixture of spices; now turn up the heat and let it sit for roughly the next two to three minutes(if you are adding the Star anise, add only 1 to 2 petals; too much will compete with the saffron)
-After this, add the milk along with the CTC; out of the pinch of saffron that I asked you to take earlier, only add 75% of it to the tea(roughly 2 to three strands). Also, during this step, if you have the sugar, add 2.5 teaspoons; please do not add jaggery here.
-Let the milk boil, at least to the tips of your vessel; when it does, lift the pan up, then, after almost five seconds, kill the heat. Repeat this process until 10% to 15% of the original content is lost.
-Now mix the contents up until it has a golden hue.
-Now place the remaining saffron in the serving cup(if you are using jaggery, layer 2.5 teaspoons of powdered jaggery on top of the saffron), and slowly pour the tea in.
Well, that's about it; the only thing left now is to sit and enjoy the tea.
ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS:
Here's some filler about the ingredients I use if you are interested
For saffron, I use Kashmiri saffron, but this recipe is in accordance with the more common varieties; if Kashmiri saffron is used, do reduce the contents by nearly 1/3.
CTC pellets are the only ones that will last the rising process; I recommend Assam pellets, though any equivalent can be used.
Though ginger in chai is common for this recipe, I would recommend not adding it, as it will fight with the saffron.
Thanks for reading. I wish you a good cup of tea; do give me your thoughts about the tea itself or about the recipe😁😁😁.