Indian Masala Chai/Tea

Having spent my childhood in Uttar Pradesh, hot chai/tea is my favorite hot drink. It is hard to find individuals who do not drink chai in the northern states of India. There are various chai masalas available in today's market that can be used to flavor the chai or you always have the evergreen elaichi/cardamom and adrak/ginger tea. However, there are a few other simple combinations that enhance the flavor of the tea by a great extent. Here are few of the ones that I personally prefer.

1. Simple Fennel/Saunf Chai/Tea:
    Add a teaspoon of roughly crushed fennel/saunf to the tea while it is boiling and enjoy a refreshing fennel flavored cup of tea.

2. Light Masala Chai/Tea:
    Add roughly crushed clove, cardamom and an inch of cinnamon to the tea while it is boiling and enjoy a light masala flavored chai.


3. Refreshing Masala Chai/Tea:
    Add few leaves of fresh mint, crushed ginger and roughly powdered saunf/fennel to your tea while it is boiling and enjoy.


There are a lot of permutations and combinations that can be applied to the spices to come up with a great chai masala. These are just a few of my current favorites.