I am going take liberty and make a general statement here! Whenever the word Chai has ‘Masala’ added as a prefix, it take precedence over any beverage; especially when it is cold and/or raining. Chai Masala is a blend of various spices and honesty there is no right/perfect recipe for it. The spices might be more or else the same but their amount differs from person to person; some like more ginger, some would rather add fresh ginger; if someone is like my bcf (best chai buddy) AK, they would prefer just a hint of cardamom. I will not be surprise of there was/will be a Stitch Fix for chai masala!
Here is my go to chai masala; in addition to usual suspects I add fennel, lemongrass and star anise. I also add fresh mint leaves in addition to the chai masala while brewing my chai.
Happy Grinding!
Chai Masala
Equipment
- High powered mixer
Ingredients
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 8 small/5 medium dry ginger pieces
- 10 g green cardamom
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 3 tbsp fennel seeds
- 5 g cloves
- 2 tsp whole black pepper
- 10-15 medium pieces of dry lemongrass
- 1/2 cup dried rose petals
- 1/2 cup dried indian (holy) basil
Instructions
- First grind ginger and nutmeg together, empty it in a clean bowl.
- Next grind all remaining ingredients to an almost fine consistency, I like some coarseness.
- Add to the bowl with ginger and nutmeg and stir until a homogeneous mix is formed.
- Store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
- For 2 cups chai, 1/2 tsp chai masala is ideal.