Chai Masala with Turmeric, Honey and Lemon
A chai masala concentrate simmered ten minutes with whole spices, then steeped with turmeric and finished off the heat with raw honey and a squeeze of lemon—golden, peppery and warming.
Masala chai is a spice mix before it is a drink. Cinnamon, green cardamom, fresh ginger, cloves and black pepper go into the water first, and the proportions change from one household to the next across India—more ginger in one kitchen, more cardamom in the next. This version leans on the pepper and adds turmeric, which is not part of every masala but turns the cup gold.
The key is simmering the spices longer than a regular chai—a full 10 minutes on low heat—so the water has time to pull the aromatic oils out of the bark, the pods and the root. Tea and turmeric go in at the end, for three to four minutes only: black tea held in a hard simmer that long turns harsh and tannic.
Raw honey goes in after the brew has cooled for a couple of minutes, off the boil, so its floral aroma is not cooked off—stirred into a rolling-hot liquid, honey mostly tastes like sugar. The squeeze of lemon at the end sharpens the whole cup and cuts the earthiness of the turmeric.
This is a cold-morning cup rather than an everyday one: bold, peppery and sweet at once, thick enough to coat the spoon. The turmeric settles, so stir as you go and drink it slowly while it is still hot.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 black tea bag or 2 tsp loose black tea
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 2 whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp raw honey
- Squeeze of lemon
How to make it
- 1Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, ginger slices, cloves, and black pepper.
- 2Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to extract the spice oils.
- 3Add tea bag or loose tea and turmeric. Steep 3–4 minutes, then strain into a mug.
- 4Let cool 2 minutes, then stir in raw honey and a squeeze of lemon.
- 5Sip slowly while warm. Stir occasionally as turmeric may settle.
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