Chai or Tea Masala is a combination of spices that can be ground, blended together and kept at home and used over a period of time. When made at home, we are ensured quality and it is definitely a money-saver. Just to clarify, the Tea Masala does not contain any tea, it’s a blend of spices that go into making the tea a lot better! Mix it with warm milk and give the kids anytime they have the sniffles or are feeling under the weather.
You can also use this powder to make our Chai Masala Cake!
Prep Time: 15 min
Yields: 3/4th Cup
Ingredients:
Elaichi (Cardamom) Seeds- 2.5 tbsp
Dry Ginger Powder – 5 tbsp
Whole Black Pepper – 4 tbsp
Cloves Powder – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon Powder- 1 tsp
Nutmeg – 3/4 tsp
Aunty’s Recipe to make in Bulk:
Elaichi – 100g or 1/2 cup+1.5tbsp
Ginger – 100g or 1.25cup
Black Pepper – 150g 1cup+1tbsp
Cloves – 10g or 2tsp
Cinnamon – 15g or 4.5tsp
Nutmeg – 1.5 pieces or 1tbsp (ground)
Method:
1. Blend all of the above into a fine powder and store in a clean glass jar.
Thankyou Anuja, I have been frantically searching everywhere in Pakistan this masala had many people bring me from kenya and Sri Lanka but they got the tea with masala rather then just the masala. Finally geared up to mix one myself and followed your recipe. To begin with I used everything already powdered and just measured and blended them. They tasted fine, but is that OK to do, or much we use whole spices. Farah Kamal
i can use other masalas
Yes, Komal, there are lots of variations to this recipe. You can add in other spices that you like.
I cannot find Elaichi anywhere! I have only seen green cardamom pods. Are the seeds easy to remove from the dried pods? Or do you recommend a reputable online retailer? Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
Yes, the skin is very easy to remove – gently bash the pods with a pestle or a rolling pin. The skin will crack open and you can then take seeds out.
It is better to get the pods and take the seeds out and use them as opposed to buying the seeds, they are stronger and more potent.
You guys truly rock!! I feel like you are with me all the way when I have a question about any indian recipe…I just go straight to show me the curry and bam–right there with perfect instructions!
Hi Gujarati Gal,
Glad to be of help 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I love watching your recipe videos, they are great. I am going to make this chai masala as I am making your chai masala cake which looks so great. One of the things I always add in chai masala tea is fennel. So could I add a tbsp or so of ground fennel to this masala? Or do you think it will over complicate the flavour when added to the cake. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks, Arianna
Hi Arianna,
I personally LOVE fennel and I think it’ll be wonderful addition – I would suggest you not add too much though…it might overtake and overpower all the other flavors 🙂
Enjoy!
Hi Anuja,
Thank you for your reply, going to make this masala for the masala chai cake very soon.
Arianna x
What brand ginger powder do you use? I hear there is a wide diversity of taste in ginger powder.
Also, do you leave the pods on the cardamom?
Hello, I was wondering if I can use this mix with loose tea?
What blender are you using to grind these masala?
Hi , Hetal & Hi Anuja
From : Navin Shah,Sault Ste. Marie,Ontario,Canada.
I enjoy reviewing your videos. They are so simple to follow and are wonderful too. You present many delicious veg and non veg varieties, extremely simple to cook too.
Just listening and seeing you cook many of my favourite dishes make my mouth water and for that I thank you both.
Best to you both
Navin Shah.
Hi Navin,
Thank you so much for the feedback! We are happy to hear that you are enjoying our videos. Thanks for the support!
Looks delicious! Is there any black tea in this recipe? How can you mix this spice mixture with tea?
Great combination of spices. Make a small batch to try it out. The original recipe can be easily halved. I found it too peppery and hot for my taste. So, the next time, i used 1/2 of the amount of pepper and it was perfect.
Can this masala be used in your chai masala cake ????? If yes can same quantity be used as in the cake recipe ????
Hi Asna,
Yes, you can use the same quantity of this masala.
yes
In bulk recipe nutmeg is 1.5 of what.its not clear if its gram and also can I skip black pepper part
Hi Rupinder,
Sorry about that – fixed it now 🙂
It is 1.5 nutmegs or 1 tbsp ground powder
Hope that helps
Is hetal’s Mom anuja’s aunt?
Hi Dana,
In Indian culture, we call all older ladies and gentlemen – Aunties and Uncles. Out of respect we do not address by their names. Hence, I refer to Hetal’s Mom as Aunty 🙂 We address relatives by specific name depending on the relationship.
Wow…Thanks for this! we adore masala tea! but been making by crushing some cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and cloves. But this way would be easier to use whenever we want!
Would it be better flavour if these spices are being roasted and then ground together? Or will it change it’s original flavour?
(had a thought that if we roast them and prepare the masala powder in a bulk format, it would remain fresh for long!)
Can you also show some baby food/ toddler food indian recipes please? Love your presentation. Keep up the good work!
The whole ginger is very easily availabi in the Indian grocery stores. But the thng is very very hard & so it is a pain to grind it at home. So I prefer to buy it in the powder form.
Tried this powder in a yogurt smoothie and it was delicious.
My mom does the exact thing.. and so do I now… Have been using it since long now.. and have to say, once you do this, you can’t go back to the store bought masala… nice post guys!
I’ve been wanting to find a good recipe for this masala! Thank you it sounds really amazing. I’m going to make it this weekend.