Staple Chai Basic Masala Chai

Welcome to Chaientist! If you're reading this, you probably know Ravi, are wondering "what-ist???", or perhaps both. In any case, you'll find in this blog Ravi's experimentations with and variations on a centuries-old (at least... that's a debate for another time) drink: chai. And, when the experimenting goes well, you'll find recipes posted here for your own modifications.

Being a miserly grad student, I find pleasure in things that cost little but have a large payoff. Being a human being, I generally ingest things that appeal to my palate. Inexpensive but delicious homemade chai is thus a great start to any day. Being a scientist and engineer, I like to ask why things work, how they could be made better, and test my ideas experimentally. Chai-brewing techniques are relatively well-controlled, and are thus quite amenable to experimentation. Once my girlfriend introduced me to the ease of making chai, I was hooked, as it appealed to my palate (i.e., hunger) and inner (i.e., outer) scientist.

The goal of this blog is to trigger curiosity about and experimentation with chai so that you'll share your own thoughts, experiences and recipes via comments or conversations. I know that many people (including roughly 99.999% of Indian mothers) have their own special chai recipes; please email recipes to (chaientist at gmail.com), so that they can be shared with this blog community. Senders of recipes beware: your recipes may well be experimented on by others!

I'll begin with a basic recipe that I use when I don't really feel like doing an experiment. In future posts, look for variations on this theme!


Basic Masala Chai (one 12 oz serving)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• ~ 1/2 tsp Chai masala (equal parts of: coarsely ground black pepper, green cardamom seeds and cinnamon, and an equal part ginger powder) [update: to clarify my sloppily-written instructions, this masala is composed of equal parts black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and ginger powder!]
• ~ 1 tsp Lipton Yellow Label loose tea
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 tsp sugar

Technique

1. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil Careful not to let too much water evaporate and distort the all-important water:milk ratio
2. Add masala and tea to boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer, and steep 2-3 minutes
3. Add milk, raise heat, and return to a boil, stirring occasionally Keep an eye on the pot, as milk-based mixtures will boil over rapidly
4. Add sugar to a 12 oz mug
5. Strain tea into mug (discard used tea and masala), and stir to dissolve sugar Be sure to use a strainer that won't let the tea leaves through
6. Let the chai cool for ~5 min and enjoy!

Update: I changed the title from Staple Chai to Basic Masala Chai, because despite Kyle's comment (below), there are no staples in this recipe!