Homemade Chai Masala With Whole Kerala Spices

To make chai masala at home, warm cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper in a dry pan for a minute, let them cool, grind them fine and stir in dry ginger powder. Use about ¼ teaspoon per cup, added to the boiling water before the tea. This batch fills a small jar and keeps its aroma for three to four weeks.

Ingredients (makes about 6 tablespoons)

• 2 tablespoons green cardamom pods
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 pieces of cinnamon, about 5 cm each (Ceylon or cassia)
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons dry ginger powder (chukku podi)
• Optional: ¼ nutmeg, grated, or 1 star anise

Cassia gives a stronger, sweeter-hot cinnamon note that stands up to milk. Ceylon is milder and more floral. Either works.

Method

1. Warm the hard spices. Put the cloves, cinnamon and pepper (and star anise, if using) in a dry pan on low heat for about a minute, stirring. You're driving off moisture, not roasting them brown.
2. Add the cardamom for the last 20 seconds only. It scorches quickly.
3. Cool completely, about 10 minutes on a plate. Warm spices clump and sweat in the jar.
4. Grind to a fine powder in a dry mixie jar, in short bursts. Sieve out any cinnamon splinters.
5. Mix in the dry ginger powder and nutmeg.
6. Store in a small, dry, airtight glass jar.

If you're unsure how far to take the pan stage, our post on dry roasting whole spices covers the signs to watch for.

How much chai masala per cup?

Start with ¼ teaspoon per cup. Add it to the water as it comes to the boil, then add the tea, boil for a minute, and add milk. After a few days you'll know whether you want a little more.

For a pot of four cups, 1 level teaspoon is a good starting point.

Adjusting the balance

• More fragrant: add another tablespoon of cardamom.
• Warmer, for winter or the monsoon: more dry ginger and a little more pepper.
• Tastes medicinal: cut the cloves by half. They're the strongest spice in the mix.
• Too woody: use one piece of cinnamon instead of two.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Roasting the spices dark. Browned cloves and pepper make the masala bitter. Keep the heat low and the time short.
• Adding masala after the milk. Spices release flavour better in boiling water. Add them first.
• Making too much. Ground masala fades within weeks. A small batch you'll finish in a month tastes better than a big jar that lasts six.
• Keeping the jar by the stove. Heat and steam dull it quickly. A closed cupboard is better.

A quicker option without grinding

Crush one cardamom pod, one clove and a 1 cm piece of fresh ginger, and boil them with the tea water. It's a fresh, simple spiced tea that many Kerala homes make on rainy mornings. For a plain cardamom version, see our elaichi chai recipe.

Who this suits

Homemade masala is worth it if you drink spiced tea most days and like to adjust the taste. If you'd rather just scoop and brew, a ready spiced tea makes more sense.

Our Kerala spice combo pack covers the cardamom, pepper and cloves for this recipe, and cassia sticks round it out.