Indian Masala Tea Powder or Chai Spice is a homemade fragrant and potent chai spice mix made with whole spices and herbs. Make an authentic cup of Indian Chai with this homemade chai masala powder.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: Not specified
- Total time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 · 1 medium-sized bottle
- Category: Spice Blend
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 4 pieces dry ginger root (about 1.5 inches or ¼ cup dry ginger powder (ground ginger))
- 1.5 nutmeg ((jaiphal))
- 2 tablespoons green cardamom (- 10 grams)
- 7 to 8 cinnamon sticks (- about 2 to 3 inches sticks)
- 1 to 1.25 tablespoons cloves (- 5 grams)
- 3 tablespoons fennel seeds ((saunf))
- ¾ cup chopped dried lemon grass
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (- optional)
- ¼ cup dry rose petals (- optional)
- ½ cup dry holy basil ((dry tulsi leaves) - optional)
Method
- First grind the dry ginger pieces in a spice-grinder, coffee grinder or in a sturdy mixer-grinder.
- Next grind the nutmeg together with the ground ginger powder.If using pre-made ginger powder (ground ginger) then simply mix it with the rest of the ground spices.
- Finally add the cloves, green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, lemon grass leaves, fennel seeds to the already ground ginger and nutmeg.
- Grind again to a fine or semi-fine powder.
- Transfer to a glass bottle or a BPA free plastic bottle. Cover tightly and store in a dry cool place in the kitchen or keep the air-tight jar in the refrigerator.
- Use the Masala Tea Powder as needed, whenever you make an Indian chai.
- Around ¼ teaspoon chai masala powder is perfect for 2 cups of Indian masala chai. Though you can add ½ teaspoon for a more fragrant and spiced chai.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.