Almost Instant Chai

Name: Almost Instant Chai
Ingredients: Chai Masala; 1/4 cup ground black pepper (about 1/3 cup peppercorns); 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (about four 5-inch cinnamon sticks); 2 tablespoons ground cardamom (about 1/4 cup whole green cardamom pods); 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves (about 18 cloves); 1 1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg (about 1 whole nutmeg); 1/2 teaspoon ground dried orange peel, optional; Chai; 1/2 teaspoon chai masala, above; 1/2 cup water; 1/2 cup milk of choice (coconut milk is especially nice); 2 teaspoons black tea, such as Ceylon or Assam; Sweetener to taste

14 ingredients

5 steps

Ingredients

Chai Masala
1/4 cup ground black pepper (about 1/3 cup peppercorns)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (about four 5-inch cinnamon sticks)
2 tablespoons ground cardamom (about 1/4 cup whole green cardamom pods)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves (about 18 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg (about 1 whole nutmeg)
1/2 teaspoon ground dried orange peel, optional
Chai
1/2 teaspoon chai masala, above
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk of choice (coconut milk is especially nice)
2 teaspoons black tea, such as Ceylon or Assam
Sweetener to taste

Directions

1

Grind each spice individually in a spice or coffee grinder. Be sure to grind them as finely as possible to avoid chunks of whole spices in your tea.
2

Sift each spice with a fine-mesh sifter and return any large pieces of spices to the grinder to powder them further.
3

Combine the ground spices in a bowl and store in an airtight jar or container.
4

Bring the water, milk, masala, and tea to a slow simmer. Cover and remove from the heat. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.
5

Strain carefully into a cup and sweeten to taste.