Masala Chai

Ginger Chai

Adrak wali chai — fresh ginger, strong tea, real heat. The chai people reach for in cold weather and at the end of a long day.

Ginger chai is the most assertive of the everyday blends. Where cardamom rounds a cup, ginger cuts through it: a sharp, warming bite that stays in the throat after the last mouthful. It is also the most common chai on the streets of central India, where the ginger goes in by the handful, crushed rather than sliced.

Fresh, not powdered

This is the one blend where the form of the spice really decides the outcome. Fresh ginger, crushed so the fibres break and the juice runs, gives a bright heat. Dried ginger powder gives a duller, flatter warmth and clouds the cup. If you only have powder, use it — but expect a different drink.

How to brew it

Crush a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger per two cups — a mortar or the flat of a knife is better than a grater, which turns it to pulp.

Bring two parts water to one part milk to the boil with the ginger already in. Add 1 teaspoon of tea per cup and sugar to taste, then simmer 3 minutes — slightly longer than other blends, so the ginger has time to give up its heat. Strain and serve.

Balancing the heat

Ginger and sugar work against each other in a useful way: sweetness softens the burn without removing it. If a cup comes out too sharp, the fix is usually more sugar or a splash more milk, not less ginger. A cracked cardamom pod also takes the edge off — that combination is the start of a full masala chai.