My mornings invariably start with a hot cup of lightly sweetened black tea boosted with the spicy kick of fresh ginger. Laced with a dash of milk, this 4 ingredient Ginger Chai is my daily dose of vitality and is ready in under 10 minutes!
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What is Ginger Chai
Indian Ginger Chai is quite simply, an aromatic concoction of freshly brewed tea infused with grated ginger root. Laced with milk and just righty sweetened, it makes for your daily dose of comforting goodness in a teacup.
As a food aficionado and an Indian-origin food blogger, I must confess that I am quite obsessed with my ginger tea. My non-Indian friends often ask me why I fuss so much over “my chai” when Chai tea or Chai Latte is readily available at several coffee shops. No, it’s not the same, not even close. The Indian ginger tea is awesomely flavorful and also works great to soothe sore throats and facilitate the healing of common colds.
Back home in India, tea is one of the most commonly served beverages in all homes, and Cutting Chai or half a cup of tea is readily available in roadside tapris (food stalls). This is a must-learn recipe to keep you warm and energetic through the coming winter season.
Fun Fact
Chai in India means tea. So, when you say “Chai Tea”, you are literally saying “Tea Tea”, something that my boys always point out and giggle about when we go to our local Starbucks.
How to Make the Best Ginger Tea
Brewing a good cup of chai is a truly therapeutic experience. For me, making my daily cup of morning tea (and evening!) is something I actually look forward to. It is magical to see the bubbling water gradually take on a deep reddish-brown color as you add the tea and freshly grated ginger.
The fragrance of the herb and boiling tea is so exhilarating that I am instantly in a sensory paradise. I usually add skim milk or low-fat milk but you can also add regular milk for a more creamy chai.
As I take the first sip of this beautiful golden-brown piping hot beverage, the ginger leaves a subtle, invigorating sting in my mouth, and bingo, I know I’m going to have a great day!
We Indians brew tea in many different ways, and it’s funny how each one is fiercely protective of their brewing technique. While tea leaves, milk, and sweetener are almost always standard ingredients, the intense flavor imparting herbs sets one chai apart from the other.
Adrak Chai (ginger tea), Elaichi Chai (cardamom tea), Masala Chai (superior cousin of Chai tea or Chai latte), etc. are some of the popular flavors. Oftentimes, these herbs are mixed together too, for e.g. Ginger-Cardamom Chai.
Chai is quite different from herbal teas, as it requires a slightly longer boiling time to reach perfection and cannot be truly enjoyed without milk. While you can sweeten your cuppa with sugar, jaggery, honey, or agave, unsweetened tea tastes just as good.
Variations
- Boiling the tea for a long time after adding milk makes it stronger or "Kadak"
- I like to use Tetley British blend tea bags but loose black tea works well too. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup depending on how strong you like the tea
- You can also add sugar along with the teabags or add it to taste in individual cups
- You can reduce the amount of water and add more milk instead for creamier chai
- I prefer skim milk or low-fat milk but feel free to use regular milk, soy milk, etc
- Depending on the quality and freshness of the ginger you may need to add more or less. Start with 1 teaspoon per cup and then add more if needed.
Serving
I enjoy my chai with a piece of toast lightly spread with homemade ghee or piping hot homemade paratha. Chai also goes well with most breakfast and snack foods.
Traditionally a variety of snacks and breakfast foods are served in Indian homes. Here are a few that I love to make when I have company:
- Anda Bhurji - Spicy India scrambled eggs
- Rava Dhokla - Savory semolina cake
- Muthia - Vegan and gluten-free spicy bites
- Handvo - Spicy rice and lentil cake
- Kale Potato Parathas - delicious homemade flatbreads
- Methi Thepla - fenugreek and sweet potato flatbreads
- Spinach Sev - Crispy fried noodles made with chickpea flour
- Chakli - Spiral-shaped crunchy snack made with rice and lentil flour
Benefits of ginger
Apart from the rich, pungent flavor, it imparts to dishes, ginger root has several medicinal properties.
- Ginger facilitates digestion, improves circulation, and boosts the immune system.
- Ginger helps to reduce inflammation, which is helpful for people suffering from arthritis.
- Ginger has excellent antioxidant qualities, and according to some research, it can help fight cancer cells.
An extremely versatile herb with a long shelf life, I always stock up on good-quality ginger to add zing to my dishes. It can be stored outside, but I usually store mine in the refrigerator. While ginger is readily available in most grocery stores, I highly recommend the Organic Indian Ginger available in Indian grocery stores or Whole Foods as the flavors are sharper and more pronounced.
Do you have to peel ginger for tea?
I do not peel ginger as the peel adds flavor and a nutrition boost. Simply scrub and rinse well to remove any dirt and dry with paper towels.
I hope I have convinced you how very simple it is to brew your own cup of ginger tea, and once you have tried it, I promise you won’t have any other!
More Indian Drink Recipes
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Recipe
Ginger Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 2 black tea bags I like Tetley British Blend
- 2 to 3 teaspoons ginger grated
- ⅓ to ½ cup low fat milk
- 2 teaspoons sugar honey or sweetner, optional
Instructions
- Add water to a medium saucepan and keep it on medium-high heat. Add teabags and ginger and bring it to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add milk and bring the tea to a full boil on medium hight heat. Turn the heat off or allow to simmer on low heat for another 2 minutes. Additional boiling time will make slightly creamier tea.
- Using a strainer filter the tea in 2 cups. Add sugar, honey or sweetner of your choice. Enjoy hot!
Notes:
- Boiling the tea for longer time after adding milk makes it more stronger or "kadak"
- I like to use Tetley British blend tea bags but loose black tea works well too. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup depending on how strong you like the tea
- You can also add sugar along with the teabags or add it to taste in individual cups
- You can reduce the amount of water and add more milk instead for creamier chai
- I prefer skim or low fat milk but feel free to use regular milk, soy milk, etc
- Depending on the quality and freshness of the ginger you may need to add more or less. Start with 1 teaspoon per cup and then add more if needed. I usually add 1½ teaspoons per cup.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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JD says
My mom adds cardamom with ginger. And it tastes like the best tea on this planet 🙂 man, I wanna go home 😀
Archana says
Yes, moms tea is always the best!! I sometimes put cardamom too!
ss says
Hi
U have a lovely blog. and I am going to try heaps of ur recipes and thank u in advance for them.
Just a small tip..dont ever heat honey. It becomes toxic as per ayurveda. If u need to use it ....use after cooling whatever u want to add honey to. U have lil children hence my alert.
Have a twinkling day.
Thanking u again for a lovely blog - technically well made too. (Maybe u can share what tools u used for this )
Rakhee says
Where are the cups from? They are adorable!
Kate says
So good! I’ve made the tea several times using local honey. Thanks for another great recipe!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback!
Lidia says
Have just made this Ginger Chai. Must say that in Italy the strongest tea you can find in supermarkets is Twinnings, I use the Breakfast, so the taste its mainly ginger which I don't mind, but wish I had more tea flavour.
Thank you for this recipe and the others, am getting my pan soon as this lockdown due to the corona virus ends.
Archana says
Hi Lidia, Thank you for the feedback. Do you get the Tetley British blend black tea? Feel free to play around with the amount of ginger as well as tea.
Lidia says
Hello Archana,
No chance to find here Tetley British blend black tea, but once this corona virus is over will try to find it in internet.
Regards
Lidia
Archana says
Be well and hopefully you can find it online.
Sheryl says
Thanks you for this recipe! I think it is a healthy drink!
Sharon says
I just made the tea and my family just loves it and they want me to make it at all times .Thanks for the recipe
Priya Vaidya says
Hi Archana ,
Where I did you buy the tea pot from ? Is it stainless steel. ?
Archana says
Yes stainless steel. Its from bed bath and beyond
Dom says
HI,
I'd love to have this at work but we only have a kettle and a microwave.
Could I make this of an evening and microwave it or add boiling water to reheat it at work?
Archana says
Yes you can always make it at home and microwave it. It stays good for an hour or 2
Kimberann says
Delicious! I’ve bought so many chai tea bags and loose leaf teas hoping to match my husband’s family’s chai “bite”. They swear they just get the chai loose leaf or bags and add milk but I have found that to be improbable! This is much closer and oh so delicious! Thank you for this simple but complex recipe and variations to try in the blog.
Swati says
Hi Archana,
I came across the adrak chai recipe while searching for calories in chai ...alya chi chah is the cure for all cough cold ailments and the only tea I drink...
I go without tea but only have ginger tea ....as it is the tea we were allowed to sip from grandma's cup early in the morning when you had a slight cold or cough. Filled with amazing aroma ...and tasty ...
Here is a quick tip that I follow
I boil water and then add ginger ( niccely washed and grated - yes i too do not peel it) . Post boiling and getting aroma of ginger in water I add tea leaves and quickly close the pot and switch off the burner and let it simmer ...the tea gets only nice ginger aroma and tea is mild....
I pour in flask and store and while drinking add milk or sugar as required ...
This is a good way to carry my tea as well ...
Loved to read your recipe too ...will try
Jaswinder Singh says
I trief and chai was the best. I also like British tetley tea.
Archana says
Thank you!
Carolina says
Love it . It’s so warm and delicious