Chai (Chiya) Tea Recipe

Jana Fortier

Hi All! There are a lot of different kinds of tea in South Asia. Many start with black tea, so I’ll be sharing a recipe for tea which my Nepali homestay family in Kathmandu taught me. A big thank you to the Harsha Narayan Dhaubadhel family for this style of tea!

Ingredients:

1 c. water

1 c. whole milk (you can use 100% milk and no water if desired)

1 small handful of loose black tea. Depending on the kind of tea, I use about ½ - ¾   tablespoon.

1 small handful of ‘sweet spices’. These can be any combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cardamom, ginger, generally. One can add a bit of black pepper or other spices for a specialty tea. Freshly ground is best but any on hand is fine.

Sugar (optional), to your taste preferance

Preparation:

Pour water and milk into a pan and heat to simmer it.

Sprinkle in tea and spices. The tea should taste pleasant so add if it tastes weak and reduce tea (next time!) if it tastes bitter after cooking.

Sprinkly in sugar (optional)

Let it cook on low for at least 5 minutes, letting the flavors melt together. You can cook it longer up to an hour if you like. The tea becomes stronger flavored so keep this in mind.

Strain out the tea leaves and enjoy!