Masala Chai Recipe Mix

For Beverages And Your Favourite Baked Goodies

Masala chai recipe, as the name suggests, derives its complex flavour from the assortment of spices aside from the tea leaves in it. This chai spice mix dry-roasts whole green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, fennel, star anise, nutmeg and dried ginger until fragrant, and then ground to a fine powder that can be used in an array of beverages and baked items like cakes and muffins. It’s a great option for masala tea lovers too who don’t like handling the ratios of whole spices. The whole spices for this masala chai recipe are typically added to a dry pan in stages, based on how quickly each one releases its aroma. Hardier spices like cinnamon, cardamom pods and star anise go in first and get a few minutes on low heat, followed by cloves, black pepper and fennel seeds, with the more delicate additions like crushed nutmeg going in last so it doesn't burn to smithereens. Ground dried ginger is added right at the end, off the heat, using the pan's residual warmth rather than direct flame. What makes a homemade masala chai recipe version worth the extra ten minutes over a store-bought jar is the freshness and knowing the ratio of spices and quality you are adding into the mix. Pre-ground spice blends lose their aromatic oils quickly once exposed to air, which is why shop-bought tea masala can taste noticeably bland compared to one made fresh at home.