Description
Homemade Chai Concentrate is a fragrant and flavorful Indian tea base made by brewing black tea with a blend of traditional masala spices. This concentrate allows you to quickly make masala chai or chai lattes at home by mixing with milk in a 1:1 ratio. The recipe involves roasting and simmering whole spices with black tea, then sweetening and steeping to create a rich, aromatic concentrate that can be stored in the fridge for up to five days.
Ingredients
Spices
- 1-inch knob ginger, peeled
- 1-2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise
- 5 cloves
- 4 dried edible roses (optional, but delicious)
- 7 green cardamom pods
- 10 black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Other Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 5 teaspoons loose leaf black tea
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar, or to preference
Instructions
- Crush the spices: Using a mortar and pestle, crush the peeled ginger into chunks to release its juices and increase surface area. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, dried roses, cardamom pods, and black peppercorns to the mortar. Lightly crush all the spices to release their essential oils. Grate fresh nutmeg using a microplane and add it to the mix.
- Dry roast the spices: Transfer the crushed spices to a medium-sized pot. Place over medium heat and dry roast for about one minute until fragrant, stirring every 10 seconds with a wooden spoon to prevent burning.
- Boil spices in water: Pour 5 cups of water into the pot with the roasted spices. Bring the mixture to a gentle rolling boil and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes to infuse the flavors.
- Add black tea leaves: Stir in the 5 teaspoons of loose leaf black tea and simmer the combined spices and tea for 5 minutes. Take care not to let it boil vigorously to avoid bitterness.
- Sweeten the concentrate: Remove the pot from heat. Add ⅓ cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste) and stir until fully dissolved.
- Steep and strain: Let the chai concentrate steep for at least 15 minutes for maximum flavor extraction. After steeping, strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a sanitized pitcher with a lid.
- Store and serve: Refrigerate the chai concentrate for up to five days. To serve, mix the concentrate with an equal part of milk. Enjoy it steamed, heated, or chilled according to preference.
Notes
- Use good quality loose leaf black tea for the best flavor; Assam or Darjeeling tea work well.
- Dried edible roses are optional but add a lovely floral aroma to the chai.
- Adjust sugar quantity depending on your sweetness preference.
- The chai concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days in a sealed container.
- For a vegan option, use plant-based milk when mixing the concentrate to make a chai latte.
- Ensure spices are lightly crushed to release flavors but not pulverized.
