Aromatic, warm and rich: that is how this masala chai can be described. The addition of fresh turmeric not only gives it a lovely golden touch but also makes it perfect for the winter season, providing the much needed immunity and warmth.

Chai is the quintessential drink for many Indian households. Even though the weather is relatively warm for most of the year, there is no compromise on chai. The only difference being the addition of spices like ginger, cloves,cardamom etc in winter. So, you can say chai is for throughout the year, while masala chai is more a winter thing.

Everyone has their own way of making chai, and their own preferences how they like their chai: strong (karak) or light, sweet or not too sweet, with or without ginger, with lot of milk or less milk. But the common thing about the Indian chai is that it always contains milk and black tea leaves. Usually, we use loose black tea leaves in India but if you don’t have access to loose tea leaves, black tea bags would also do.

Unlike british tea, the tea leaves in chai need to be cooked for several minutes to release their color and full aroma. Cooking the milk and water mixture with tea leaves and spices, makes it richer and aromatic. For best results, use full fat milk.

Ingredients at a glance:

• You can find loose black tea leaves from an Indian or Asian store.
• Fresh turmeric could be found at a well stocked grocery store (my local Edeka stores it) or an Asian store.
• You can omit or also add any other spices of your choice like peppercorn, star anise or nutmeg.