A Perfect Cup of Chai

Recipe by Shubhra Ramineni

The holidays are coming, and that means fun, but also more work! Make sure to enjoy the short and sweet silent moments and recharge with a perfect cup of piping hot chai.  But don't just savor this Indian tea goodness by yourself all the time! Welcome your visiting friends and family with a cup of my most basic, yet satisfying chai recipe with a hint of cardamom. 

Serves 2

Cook Time:  5 minutes

Photo by Shubhra Ramineni

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• 1½ cups (375 ml) water⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
• 2 bags black tea or 1 tablespoon loose black tea
• 2 whole green cardamom pods⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
• ½ cup (125 ml) whole milk⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
(OR 1 cup (250 ml) reduced fat milk + 1 cup (250 ml) water OR 1½ cups (375 ml) fat-free milk + ½ cup (125 ml) water)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
• 4 teaspoons sugar

1. Place the water and bagged or loose tea in a small saucepan. Open the cardamoms and add the seeds and the pods. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. Add the milk and bring to a rolling boil again. Don’t let the milk boil over and out of the saucepan! Immediately reduce the heat to medium.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Simmer the tea for 2 ½ minutes and stir occasionally (important step!).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
4. Pour the tea through a sieve evenly into two cups. Discard the cardamom seeds and pods, and the tea bags or loose tea collected in the sieve.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
5. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar to each cup, stir and enjoy!

 Recipe courtesy of Shubhra Ramineni from her Indian cookbook: “Entice with Spice – Easy and Quick Indian Recipes for Beginners”

Follow Shubhra on Instagram for more recipes at @SpiceGirlKitchen