Indian · drink

Cardamom and Ginger Masala Chai

Name: Cardamom and Ginger Masala Chai
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 4 green cardamom pods, crushed (strained out); ½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut up (strained out); 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk; 1½ tbsp loose black tea leaves, brewed in 1 cup (250 ml) water (leaves strained out); 1 tbsp sugar (or 2 tsp for less sweet)

Cardamom and Ginger Masala Chai — from AnitaCooks's cooking video

Watch how it’s made · 3:05

Video by AnitaCooks on YouTube · Open on YouTube

10 minMakes 2 × 1 cup (180 ml)101 kcal a portion

Vegetarian
Gluten-free ingredients
Nut-free

Contains: Milk. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Real milk chai with just 6 g of added sugar a cup (half a tablespoon), with fresh ginger and cardamom for flavour. Whole milk gives it about 4 g of protein and over 10% of a day's calcium a cup.

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Ingredients 5

4 green cardamom pods, crushed (strained out)
½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut up (strained out)
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
1½ tbsp loose black tea leaves, brewed in 1 cup (250 ml) water (leaves strained out)
1 tbsp sugar (or 2 tsp for less sweet)

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

Crush 4 green cardamom pods to a powder in a mortar and pestle. Peel about ½ inch of fresh ginger and cut it up. 0:20
Pour 1 cup water and 1 cup whole milk into a steel pot, add the ginger and cardamom, and bring to a boil, stirring now and then and watching that it doesn't boil over. 0:40
When it bubbles, add 1½ tbsp black tea leaves (1 tbsp for milder tea). Let it come back to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. 1:06
Stir in 1 tbsp sugar until dissolved and turn off the heat. Strain into a jug with a spout; you get about 12 oz (350 ml). 1:28
For froth, 'pull' the tea: pour it from a height between two cups a few times, over the sink. It cools and turns foamy. Serve in two cups. 2:26

Tip. Use 2 tsp sugar instead of 1 tbsp to cut the added sugar to 4 g a cup, or leave it out. Don't use skim milk; it makes the chai thin and watery.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One portion, 1 cup (180 ml), gives you 1 of 2

Energy101 kcal420 kJ

Protein4 g8% of a day

Fibre0 g0% of a day

Carbohydrate12 g12 g net · 12 g sugars5% of a day

Fat4.1 g2.4 g saturated5% of a day

Sodium60 mg3% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

Net carbs 47%
Protein 16%
Fat 37%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Vitamin B12 High23%

0.6 µg a serve, mostly from milk (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Calcium Source11%

142 mg a serve, mostly from milk (100%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Show the other 13

Selenium8%

4.6 µg a serve, mostly from milk (100%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Vitamin A6%

58 µg a serve, mostly from milk (100%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Potassium5%

210 mg a serve, mostly from milk (77%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Zinc5%

0.5 mg a serve, mostly from milk (95%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Magnesium4%

16 mg a serve, mostly from milk (76%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Folate3%

13 µg a serve, mostly from milk (50%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin B63%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from milk (98%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Omega-32%

0 g a serve, mostly from milk (99%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Vitamin D1%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from milk (100%). Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin E1%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from milk (94%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Iron0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from loose black tea leaves (56%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Vitamin C0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from fresh ginger (83%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Vitamin K0%

0.4 µg a serve, mostly from milk (93%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

Recipe and video by AnitaCooks; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.