Indian Tea | Milk Tea Recipe | Homemade Chai
Indian tea, known as milk tea or chai, is an aromatic, delicious, and comforting hot beverage. Tea is consumed in every Indian home for morning breakfast and evening snacks on a daily basis.
Servings: 4
Calories: 59kcal
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole milk
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Tea powder chai ki patti
- 1 tablespoon Sugar add 2 teaspoon for mild sweetness
Instructions
How to make Indian tea with milk?
- To make chai, in a saucepan or a pot, add water, milk, tea powder, sugar, and mix. Bring this to a boil.1 cup Whole milk, 1 cup Water, 1 tablespoon Tea powder, 1 tablespoon Sugar
- Now reduce the flame to prevent it from spilling out and continue simmering for 3 to 4 minutes or until the color changes from a milky shade to a light brown shade.
- (If you feel the tea is not strong enough, you can add more powder. Also, you can stir to prevent tea leaves from sticking to the pan. )
- Strain immediately in a pot using a strainer and discard tea powder.
- Pour this tea into a serving cup, serve hot, and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Simmer: Simmering the tea once it comes to a boil is very important, but only briefly until it reaches desired consistency and color. Simmering it for longer will not only change its color but will also make it bitter.
- Brand of tea leaves: The brand of tea powder (chai ki patti) or type of tea leaf you use will make a difference at the end. You may have to adjust the quantity as needed. I love the red label and wagh bakri brand from India. If using any other brands, you may have to experiment a couple of times to get the right tea flavor. If using tea bags, then for the best flavor, always add an extra bag than what is needed to make this Indian milk tea.
- The ratio of water: milk - 1:1 ratio is what we have been following since my grandmom’s time. If you like thick creamy tea, then avoid water and make the tea with milk only. But if you like it very thin, then increase the amount of water. Also, if using low-fat milk, skim milk, then you may have to reduce the amount of water.
- Add more flavor and add ginger, mint, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, or chai masala powder. I will share a detailed post on masala chai soon.
- Scaling: You can double or triple the recipe.
- Another way of making tea is to boil water, tea powder, and sugar. Then add the warm milk to it as needed for the desired flavor based on how karak tea you like.
- Adjust the amount of sugar you add based on your liking. But if you are adding, add it along with tea powder for the best flavor and color.
- To make a vegan version of Indian tea, use cashew milk or almond milk.
Nutrition
Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 92mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 286IU | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg