Cinnamon & Ginger Masala Chai

Name: Cinnamon & Ginger Masala Chai
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 cups, about 240–260 ml each
Ingredients: 1 g Cinnamon bark pieces, from the 60 g pack; or choose the strips below, not both; 0.6 g Fine cinnamon bark strips, from the 120 g pack, as an alternative to the 1 g bark pieces; put in a fine food-safe cooking spice bag; 300 ml Drinking water; 300 ml Pasteurised whole milk, bought separately; 6 g Plain loose black tea, bought separately, not Earl Grey; 12 g Fresh ginger, rinsed, sliced and lightly crushed; 3 pods, about 0.6 g Green cardamom, bought separately, lightly cracked; 2 whole cloves, about 0.2 g Cloves, bought separately; 12 g Caster sugar, or less to taste

Cooking with Xianyitang dried ingredients

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Two cups of cinnamon and ginger masala chai with the alternative 60 g bark-piece and 120 g fine-strip packs behind

Black tea and milk make a mellow, full-flavoured chai, warmly scented with cinnamon, fresh ginger, green cardamom and cloves. This two-cup version offers a choice of cinnamon bark pieces or fine strips, strained out before serving.

Serves2 cups, about 240–260 ml each

Soaking / prepAbout 5 min preparation

CookingAbout 10–15 min gentle cooking

Total timeAbout 15–20 min

Times are estimates. Allow for the soaking, cooling and chilling shown above, and check the state and doneness described in the method.

Alternative cinnamon bark pieces and fine strips with black tea, milk, ginger, cardamom and cloves

Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.

Ingredients

Cinnamon bark pieces, from the 60 g pack; or choose the strips below, not both 1 g
Fine cinnamon bark strips, from the 120 g pack, as an alternative to the 1 g bark pieces; put in a fine food-safe cooking spice bag 0.6 g
Drinking water 300 ml
Pasteurised whole milk, bought separately 300 ml
Plain loose black tea, bought separately, not Earl Grey 6 g
Fresh ginger, rinsed, sliced and lightly crushed 12 g
Green cardamom, bought separately, lightly cracked 3 pods, about 0.6 g
Cloves, bought separately 2 whole cloves, about 0.2 g
Caster sugar, or less to taste 12 g

Method

Prepare the spices and choose one cinnamon

Choose either 1 g bark pieces or 0.6 g fine strips, not both. Break the bark into pieces that fit the pan; enclose the strips securely in a fine food-safe cooking spice bag. Prepare the ginger and cardamom as listed and keep the tea separate. The spices do not need a separate soaking stage.

Simmer the ginger and spices

Put 300 ml water, ginger, cardamom, cloves and your chosen cinnamon in a saucepan of at least 1.5 litres. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 4–5 minutes. Fine strips release their aroma readily: start checking after about 3 minutes and remove the bag once fragrant enough. Keep loose strips out of the cups.

Ginger, green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon bark simmering in water

Add tea, then milk

Add 6 g tea and simmer gently for about 2 minutes. Stir in 300 ml milk and the sugar. Heat over medium-low until it just starts to bubble, then turn down for about 2–3 minutes. Watch constantly and lift the pan off the heat if the milk rises towards the rim. Avoid a prolonged hard boil.

Strain and serve

Remove the spice bag if used. Strain into a clean heatproof jug through a fine metal sieve, catching the tea, ginger and all whole spices. Check for cinnamon fragments and strain again if needed. Divide between two cups and allow to cool slightly before drinking; do not put bark or strips in the cups.

Cooked milky tea poured through a fine sieve into a heatproof jug

Cooking tips

Difficulty: Easy.
Choose either the bark pieces from the 60 g pack or the fine strips from the 120 g pack. These are net pack weights; use the small recipe quantity listed above, not a whole pack.
Bark pieces, 60 g pack: larger pieces infuse gradually and are easy to lift out after simmering. Choose these if you prefer a gradual infusion and easy removal. Start with 1 g in this recipe and strain the finished tea.
Fine strips, 120 g pack: the smaller cut exposes more surface to the liquid and can release aroma readily during a short simmer. Start with 0.6 g in a fine food-safe cooking spice bag. Check the aroma from about 3 minutes, remove the bag once it suits your taste, and strain before serving.
Both forms work in chai. A finer cut does not by itself guarantee better flavour or a stronger batch: the bark, thickness, quantity and simmering time all matter. The 1 g and 0.6 g amounts are starting quantities for this untested adaptation, not a verified equivalent substitution.
Tea, milk, green cardamom and cloves are bought separately. Green cardamom is neither amomum (sha ren) nor tsaoko (cao guo). The drink contains caffeine and has no cream or foam.
Use a scale that reads to 0.1 g. The 0.6 g strips are a starting quantity for this adapted version, not 6 g.

Allergens

Contains milk. The Xianyitang dried-ingredient packs state that they are packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check the actual labels of every brand used.

Storage and reheating

Best freshly made. If keeping it, strain out tea and spices, cool promptly and refrigerate covered at 5°C or below within 2 hours. Use within 24 hours and reheat gently only once until hot throughout.

Shop the Xianyitang ingredients for this recipe

Actual Xianyitang packaging: Cinnamon Sticks 60 g — Actual packaging reference · See product links for pack sizes

Actual Xianyitang packaging: Cinnamon Bark Shreds 120 g — Actual packaging reference · See product links for pack sizes