• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pakistan Eats

  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Features
  • Collections
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Collections
  • Features
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Collections
    • Features
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Drinks

    Pakistani Style Masala Chai

    April 24, 2020 by pakistaneats 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    masala chai with fennel seeds
    Jump to:
    • How to Make This Chai Recipe Your Own
    • Masala Chai Recipe

    In my bid to fill gaping holes in the blog (see bhindi masala post), I bring you a masala chai recipe. My husband, Saptarshi, has been after me for years to post a basic chai recipe given its central place in a Pakistani household. At home in Islamabad, we only have simple Lipton black tea that is brewed in a teapot for a few minutes and served alongside milk and sugar. It wasn’t interesting enough to warrant a post. But when I tried this Lahore Deli Chai recipe a couple of years ago, I learned of the special joy of a spiced, creamy chai. When I recreated it a couple of weeks ago, I realized that it was a little too spicy and too milky for my taste. There had to be a middle ground.

    This masala chai recipe is that middle ground. A typical roadside Pakistani chai is doodh pati – tea leaves cooked in milk. That’s Lahore Deli’s variation as well. But since I cannot stand too much milk in my coffee or tea, I adapted the recipe to make it less milk heavy. I took some lessons from my friend Izzah’s authentic chai recipe on her blog; and Numra of Empress Market from her tutorial on Instagram.  

    This masala chai recipe is for me. If you are looking for a doodh pati recipe or a really complex masala chai, you will have to look elsewhere. This is tea primarily brewed in water (rather than milk) and lightly spiced with a pinch of ground fennel seeds and cardamom. I played around with the recipe a few times and here’s what I learned.

    masala chai with sugar and fennel seeds

    How to Make This Chai Recipe Your Own

    • I only used ground cardamom and a pinch of fennel seeds in this recipe but don’t let that stop you from playing around. I was chatting with my Twitter friends, and people incorporate a whole range of spices including fresh ginger, cloves, black pepper and cinnamon sticks. See what you like.
    • Whatever spices you use, remember to infuse them for a couple of minutes in simmering water in the beginning.
    • Use strong black tea. You can use teabags as well. In this recipe, I added loose Tapal tea and strained it towards the end.
    • Use whole milk! In fact, some will go as far as urging you to use fresh milk only but we know that can be a little difficult.
    • Izzah and Numra both recommend aerating the tea with a ladle. I didn’t have the patience to do that but I was occasionally whisking it. This apparently helps make it creamier.
    • Do not serve the tea in glass! I thought it would look good in photos but it’s really impractical. Stick to mugs and teacups.

    I hope these tips and recipe will guide you to make your own perfect cup of masala chai. Till then, enjoy and Ramadan Mubarak!  

    masala chai with sugar
    masala-chai-square

    Masala Chai Recipe

    A simple recipe for a masala chai that's somewhere between dhaba tea and the one I grew up having at home.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine Pakistani Cuisine
    Servings 4 people

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 cups water
    • Pinch of fennel seeds ground
    • 4 cardamom pods removed and ground
    • 5 teaspoons loose black tea or teabags
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 5 teaspoons sugar or to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Bring 4 cups water to boil. Reduce to simmer and add ground spices and tea. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
    • Whisk in milk. Bring to boil.
    • Lower heat and let milk simmer for 8 minutes, whisking occasionally and skimming any residue from the top.
    • Remove from heat, stir in sugar or sweetener.
    • Strain and pour in mugs or teacups.
    Tweet
    Share
    Pin17
    Share72
    89 Shares

    More Drinks

    • Nimbu Soda (Pakistani Style Lime Soda)
    • Classic Sweet Lassi (Yogurt Drink)
    • Guest Post by Hina: A Daughter's Tribute + Recipe for Kashmiri Chai

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anon

      October 15, 2020 at 3:01 pm

      Hey , since its much more water than milk , will the tea be very watery or will it thicken up

      Reply
      • pakistaneats

        October 17, 2020 at 8:06 am

        Hello! Since it's not milk-based tea, it won't be as thick as doodh patti but bringing the water and milk to boil and letting it simmer does thicken the chai.

        Reply
    2. Samina

      November 09, 2021 at 6:37 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe! I make masala chai at home all the time now - thank you!

      Reply
    3. Atharva Sharma

      May 09, 2022 at 10:07 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is just woah I loved your recipe very much. As I had drink masala chai of MahaChai's very much and I love their taste so so much. As they uses their own ingredients for making their tea special.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Zeera Biscuits (Cumin Biscuits) - Pakistan Eats says:
      January 27, 2021 at 1:29 pm

      […] Zeera biscuits are not for everyone. When I shared a photo of them on my Instagram stories, I got very polarizing reactions. It was diaspora Pakistanis who grew up eating Lu’s legendary zeera biscuits who were as I excited as I was. The others were a little confused. Pakistani palettes are very comfortable with a sweet savory mix, even when it comes to sweets. Here it’s also important to remember that zeera biscuits are always had with tea! […]

      Reply
    2. Haleem (Beef and Barley Porridge) - Pakistan Eats says:
      June 22, 2022 at 9:42 am

      […] of course, a solid cup of masala chai or creamy Kashmiri […]

      Reply
    3. 15 Pakistani Drinks That You Can’t Get Enough Of 2022 says:
      July 2, 2022 at 9:58 am

      […] 7. Masala Chai (Mixed-spice Tea) […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    About Me

    Hi! I'm Maryam, an international educator and food writer, excited about bringing you traditional Pakistani recipes from across the country. Learn more.

    Trending Recipes

    • Masoor Ki Daal (Red Lentils)
    • Seviyan (Vermicelli Pudding)
    • Palak Gosht (Mutton Curry with Spinach)

    Fall Recipes

    • Palak Gosht (Mutton Curry with Spinach)
    • Rafia's Pakistani Style Ginger Chicken
    • Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach and Dill
    • Kaali Daal (Black Lentils)

    Reader Favorites

    • Nur's Borani Banjan (Eggplant with Yogurt)
    • Kali Mirch Chicken (Black Pepper Chicken)
    • Karela Sabzi (Bitter Melon Vegetable)
    • Masoor Ki Daal (Red Lentils)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top