Masala chai facts for kids
Masala chai served with biscuits
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| Alternative names | Spiced tea |
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| Type | Flavoured tea |
| Place of origin | India |
| Main ingredients | Black tea, Milk, Spices, Sugar |
Masala chai is a super popular tea drink from India. It's made by boiling black tea with milk, water, and a mix of yummy, aromatic spices. This special tea started in India but is now loved all over the world! You can find it in many coffee and tea houses.
The word chai actually means "tea" in Hindi. It comes from the Chinese word for tea, cha. So, when people say "chai tea," they are really saying "tea tea"! In English, we often call this spiced tea masala chai or just chai.
Long ago, stories say that a king in India created masala chai. He made it as an Ayurvedic drink. This means it was a mix of herbs and spices meant for healing. Today, many coffee shops in Western countries sell "chai latte." This is a version made with steamed milk, like a caffè latte, but with spiced tea instead of coffee.
Contents
What's in Masala Chai?
Masala chai gets its amazing taste from a few key ingredients. These include tea, a special blend of spices, milk, and something sweet.
Tea Leaves for Chai
Most masala chai recipes use black tea as their base. The most common type of black tea used is called Assam tea. But sometimes, people use a mix of different teas. In India, Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri teas are the most popular choices for chai.
Spices That Make it Special
The traditional masala chai is a warm and spicy drink. It's made with different amounts of "warming" spices. The spice mix is called karha. It usually starts with ground ginger and green cardamom pods.
Other spices often added to the karha include:
- Cinnamon
- Star anise
- Fennel seeds
- Peppercorns
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- More cardamom seeds
Sometimes, people also add honey, vanilla, or other spices. In Western countries, allspice is also common.
Traditionally, cardamom and ginger are the main flavors. Other spices like cloves or black pepper add a bit of heat. The exact mix of spices can change depending on the region in Southern and Southwestern Asia. For example, in Western India, people often avoid cloves and black pepper. They might even add lemongrass. The Kashmiri version of chai uses green tea instead of black tea. It has a lighter mix of flavors like almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and sometimes saffron.
Milk for Creaminess
In India, people traditionally use water buffalo milk for chai. To make masala chai, you mix one part milk with two to four parts water. Then, you heat this liquid until it's almost boiling. Some people like to use sweetened condensed milk. This makes the chai sweet and creamy at the same time! If you prefer chai without milk, you can just use more water instead.
Sweeteners for Taste
You can use many different things to sweeten your chai. Common choices include:
- Plain white sugar
- Brown sugar (like Demerara sugar)
- Palm sugar or Coconut sugar
- Syrup
- Honey
In rural parts of India, Jaggery is also a popular sweetener. While some people like their chai unsweetened, a little sugar often makes the spice flavors even better. You can add sugar to your chai to make it just right for your taste!
How to Make Masala Chai
Making masala chai is a fun process. The simplest way is to boil milk and water with tea leaves, sweeteners, and whole spices. This method is called decoction.
Traditional Preparation Methods
Indian markets sell special "chai masala" spice mixes. But many families and tea sellers, called chai wallahs, make their own spice blends. After boiling, the solid tea and spice pieces are strained out before you drink the chai.
The way you make chai can change based on what you like or local traditions. Some people put all the ingredients together at the start. They bring the mix to a boil, then strain and serve it right away. Others might let the mixture simmer for a longer time. Or they might boil the tea leaves first and add the spices later.
A common way to make chai in the Maharashtra region is to mix half a cup of water with half a cup of milk in a pot. You can add sugar now or later. Then, grated ginger is added, followed by a "tea masala" spice mix. This mix usually has crushed ginger, crushed cardamom, lemongrass, cloves, and cinnamon. The mixture is brought to a boil, and a teaspoon of black tea is added. The chai is then taken off the heat, covered, and left for about 10 minutes. This lets the black tea flavor mix into the chai. Finally, the chai is strained and served.
Where is Masala Chai Popular?
Masala chai is a super popular drink in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. However, in some parts of Southern and Eastern India, people often drink plain tea with just milk and sugar, not masala chai.
Chai Sellers and 'Cutting Chai'
You can find small tea sellers, called chaiwallas, everywhere in India. They are on highways, roads, and even small alleys. They are often open all night long! Many chaiwallas will even deliver tea to people's businesses in a special carrier for cups.
In the big city of Mumbai, roadside tea stalls sell smaller cups of tea for a lower price. This is called 'cutting chai'. 'Cutting' means they cut the amount of tea in half to make it cheaper.
Chai Around the World
Masala chai has become popular all over the world. It's loved in East Africa and the Caribbean. It's also very popular in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. There, it's often called Karak Tea or Chai Karak.
Chai in Western Countries
Many supermarkets in Western countries sell chai teabags. These bags have ground chai spices inside. You just steep them in hot water. Some stores also sell bottles of "chai spice" mix. These are usually made from powdered spices and sometimes sugar. You can add this mix to a cup of already-made tea.
In the West, people sometimes use dry or powdered milk to make chai. This helps to get a similar creamy texture to water buffalo milk. Also, because fewer people drink cow's milk now, plant-based milks like oat milk and almond milk are popular choices for chai. Some people even add a tiny bit of dark cocoa powder to their chai. This creates a "chai-co-latte"!
Cold Chai Drinks
Besides hot tea, many types of cold "chai" drinks have become popular in the United States. These can be simple spiced iced tea without milk. Or they can be a slushy mix of spiced tea, ice, and milk (or a non-dairy creamer). These are often blended and topped with whipped cream. These cold versions are quite different from the original hot drink.
Different Names for Chai Drinks
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Sometimes, chai with added espresso coffee is called different names. These include "java chai," "red eye chai," "turbocharger," or "dirty chai." Even though "latte" often means coffee with milk, a "chai latte" usually just means spiced tea with milk, without any coffee.
Images for kids
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Masala chai served with biscuits
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Spices used for masala chai.
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Spices and cut tea leaves.
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A boy in Mysore preparing masala chai. The tea is strained from the solids before serving.
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A man in Kolkata, carrying nine glasses of plain tea.
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A soy vanilla chai latte served in Berlin.
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A roadside chaiwale (chai store) in Jaipur
See also
In Spanish: Masala chai para niños
