Masala chai: Difference between revisions
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===Ingredients=== | ===Ingredients=== | ||
[[File:black tea. | [[File:black-tea.webp|thumb|right|Black tea]] | ||
There is no fixed recipe or preparation method for masala chai and many families have their own versions of the tea. Most chai contains caffeine typically 1/3 that of coffee (if made with a black tea base). The tea leaves 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: | There is no fixed recipe or preparation method for masala chai and many families have their own versions of the tea. Most chai contains caffeine typically 1/3 that of coffee (if made with a black tea base). The tea leaves 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: | ||
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====Spices==== | ====Spices==== | ||
[[File:Chai. | [[File:Chai.webp|thumb|left|250px|Spices for Chai]] | ||
The traditional masala chai is a spiced beverage brewed with different proportions of warming spices. The spice mixture, called Karha, uses a base of ground ginger and green cardamom pods. Other spices are usually added to this base or ''karha''. For example, most masala chai found on the street, in restaurants or in homes incorporates one or more of the following along with ginger and cardamom, namely: cinnamon, star anise and/or fennel seeds, black pepper, and cloves. In the Western world, using allspice, to either replace or complement the cinnamon and clove, is also common. | The traditional masala chai is a spiced beverage brewed with different proportions of warming spices. The spice mixture, called Karha, uses a base of ground ginger and green cardamom pods. Other spices are usually added to this base or ''karha''. For example, most masala chai found on the street, in restaurants or in homes incorporates one or more of the following along with ginger and cardamom, namely: cinnamon, star anise and/or fennel seeds, black pepper, and cloves. In the Western world, using allspice, to either replace or complement the cinnamon and clove, is also common. | ||
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==Outside India== | ==Outside India== | ||
Its original form remains available in restaurants that serve South Asian cuisine, but outside those venues, many Westerners are just as likely to consume their "chai" as a slushy iced beverage resembling a milkshake as to drink it as hot spiced tea. Chai flavouring is also used in baked goods such as pumpkin pies, | Its original form remains available in restaurants that serve South Asian cuisine, but outside those venues, many Westerners are just as likely to consume their "chai" as a slushy iced beverage resembling a milkshake as to drink it as hot spiced tea. Chai flavouring is also used in baked goods such as pumpkin pies, biscuits or butter tarts. | ||
===Tea-based mixes and concentrates=== | ===Tea-based mixes and concentrates=== | ||
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===Other chai shortcuts=== | ===Other chai shortcuts=== | ||
Many Western supermarkets now sell pre-packaged single-serving | Many Western supermarkets now sell pre-packaged single-serving teabags of "chai". The packaged directions generally call for steeping the small bag of ground spices and tea leaves in a cup of hot water for several minutes longer than plain teabags, resulting in a beverage which is slightly stronger than the average teabag brew but still not as intense as traditional preparations. | ||
Some American supermarkets also carry bottles of "chai spice" alongside their dried herbs and other spices. Unlike Indian spice mixtures, the American ones are generally made from powdered spices cinnamon tends to be the dominant flavor) and sometimes sugar; this mixture can be added at the last minute to an already-brewed cup of tea as there is no need to strain off the solids. | Some American supermarkets also carry bottles of "chai spice" alongside their dried herbs and other spices. Unlike Indian spice mixtures, the American ones are generally made from powdered spices cinnamon tends to be the dominant flavor) and sometimes sugar; this mixture can be added at the last minute to an already-brewed cup of tea as there is no need to strain off the solids. | ||