Two Ways to Chai
As I type this, a saucepan of black tea, cardamom, and sugar is bubbling on the stove. In 20 minutes, I’ll add evaporated milk and lower the heat, then wait again as it simmers. To make Zaynab Issa’s Karak Chai, you’re committing to patience and the payoff: a spicy, milky tea that warms you from head to toe.
Chai means tea, any tea, but the Starbucks-ification of tea makes us immediately associate it with the milky, cardamom-enhanced version. “I’ve ordered my fair share,” laughed Zaynab, whose gorgeous cookbook, Third Culture Cooking, is a playful blend of recipes that touch on her family’s Khoja identity — a diaspora of Indians who migrated to East Africa, among other places — but also the fact that she grew up in New Jersey and worked in Bon Appétit’s test kitchen.
Zaynab describes “third culture cooking” as a category that “helps define a bunch of children of immigrants” because her food isn’t Khoja + American, it’s all over the (delicious) place. There are Mall Cinnamon Rolls, Samosa-Spiced Smashed Burgers, and French Onion Ramen. The book’s design will draw you into her beautiful world, and the Karak Chai will brighten your own.
“This chai is not casual,” Zaynab told me. And neither is she. The author and New York Times Cooking contributor is always impeccably dressed (and in fact, we spoke after she’d zipped out of a fashion show in New York, where she lives).
The secret to making a tea-forward chai, Zaynab writes in her book, is to use a British black tea, like Tetley or PG Tips. Those stronger teas can take a half hour of steeping and come out fighting. (Lipton could never.) When Zaynab was a kid, they’d visit family in Canada and stock up on Tetley, unboxing it into Ziploc bags and stuffing their luggage. But now it’s more readily available — I found it at Meijer in Michigan.
We talked about how, in a culture that doesn’t drink alcohol, the nuance and ritual of tea hits some of those same notes. “There’s intentionality” to drinking chai, she said, in the same way you might open an aged bottle of bourbon. Often, her mom will put on the Pyrex Flameware glass kettle while they’re still eating dinner, to get it started, and it’ll simmer while the dishes are washed and the table cleared. When everyone moves into the living room to chat, the chai will be ready. “The pot of tea stretches out the evening,” says Zaynab. “It keeps us together longer.”
Karak Chai, two ways
From Third Culture Cooking, by Zaynab Issa
Serves 6
35 minutes
Says Zaynab: The spices used can vary from household to household, but cardamom is essential. This amount of sugar feels like the minimum for a pleasant drinking experience, but feel free to adjust it… or simply serve the tea with a bowl of sugar alongside with spoons for people to sweeten to their liking. Fair warning, someone will absolutely use the dry sugar spoon to mix their chai and return it to the now-clumpy sugar bowl. That’s when I have to remind myself to breathe — it’s all part of the experience.
4 Tetley brand tea bags or PG Tips, or 4 teaspoons black tea leaves
13 cardamom pods, cracked
3-inch cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more to taste (or cane or light brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
1 cup (240 ml) evaporated milk
Combine 6 cups (1.4 L) water, tea bags, cardamom, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla in a stove-safe tea kettle or medium pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the evaporated milk and return to a boil, watching carefully to ensure the tea doesn’t boil over — once the milk is introduced, boiling over is common at a rolling boil. Once just boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thick, creamy, and caramel in color, about 25 minutes. The longer the tea simmers, the stronger and creamier it will be, although it will also reduce in volume. Taste for desired sweetness and add more sugar to your taste.
Strain the chai through a fine-mesh sieve into mugs; discard the spices and tea bags. Serve with additional sugar on the side.
Variation with cocoa:
Whisk in 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder with the tea, spices, sugar, and vanilla.
Thank you, Zaynab!
Alex Beggs is a writer and copywriter who lives with her partner in Michigan. Her articles have appeared in Bon Appetit, Elle Decor, and The New York Times. She has also written for Cup of Jo about her dad’s meatloaf, cold cake, and (very) bad hair days.
P.S. The hot chocolate that knocks everyone’s socks off and five fun things we noticed at a drinks party.
(Photos by Graydon Herriott.)
Excerpted from the new book Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Published by Abrams.
Comments
93 commentsOkay friends! I just made this chai this morning (to accompany homemade almond scones w homemade jam!) and I can vouch for it. It was delicious! I made it exactly as the recipe stated. Very nice. Next time I’ll prob add some more spices but here to tell you to make this NOW!
I’ve been wanting to make my own chai for so long and really had no good reason why I hadn’t. I currently have a pot of this recipe simmering on my stove. I added the cocoa powder, too. It smells divine!
Discovering that Cairenes do Chai Karak has been a delight and revelation, there’s even a little shop (Karak Boy) that will bring Chai Karak and parathas to your location – give it!
My day begins with chai and the first thing I do when I come home from work is make chai. I use any combo of dry ginger, lemongrass, cardamom, mint, chai masala depending on my mood. I was born and raised in Mumbai and my grandma believed chai could cure anything. My husband on the other hand was not allowed to have chai until the 10th grade because some people believe (mistakenly) that it would make your skin dark. We were at a party once and at the end of the night someone made a big pot of chai and cups were passed around. A few minutes later I looked around for my son, who was 6 at the time, and he was sitting with a cup of chai that he had happily accepted. It was a proud moment, I felt like I had raised him right haha.
Zaynab is so elegant. Loved this post! Love seeing representation on COJ. We refer to it as “chaa” and it’s a staple in the homes of our people – it is shared during high moments and low moments. Even those of us who are born in the diaspora have continued this tradition and I hope that will continue.
Chai is an emotion for Indian households. We will have summer temperatures going upto 50degress and yet come home to a hot cup of milk tea or chai or Cha as we call it. I have also had goat milk tea popular in rural Rajasthan. Sharing my recipe below for 2 cups, do try and let me know: Ginger, 1 Cardamom, 2 cloves, 4 peppercorns, tiny bit of cinnamon- nicely pounded. Alternately grate the ginger and powder the other ingredients. Boil 1 cup milk & 1.5 cups of water together, when boils add the mixture with loose tea leaves (2 tsp / 1tbsp) and a Bay leaf (secret ingredient) and boil for 7-9 minutes till you get brown color. Add sugar as needed. Strain & serve. Let me know how it was. :)
I use all these ingredients save bay leaf, will try! I really do love ginger in chai. :)
Every family has their own version of Chai. Or within a family itself, different folks prefer different preparations. I have chai almost twice a day. I use assam blend bought from Indian stores. I dry roast green cardamom pods and make a powder of it . Boil loose tea ( 1.5 small spoons for half cup of water), add a pinch of ground cardamom powder, crushed fresh ginger, a clove, couple of black pepper pods (use tea masala), add milk to taste and let it boil and then sugar if you prefer sugar
In our house we love making chai. I use a spice blend from the Oaktown Spice Shop and let it simmer with water for 15 minutes and then add sugar and lactose free milk at the end. This is perfect without the tea even but then I add PG tips tea bags for my partner who always wants the caffeine.
Omg!!! Love that you featured Zaynab! Love her and love chai in general in all its forms and variations. This is coming from Kashmiri – we have a version of tea that is salty! Yes you read that right and a beautiful saffron herbal tea that is to die for. I share the saffron Kehwa on my blog but wanted to leave a link here for everyone to try my friend Hafsa’s Somali shaa! You will not regret it! https://mamanushka.com/somali-tea-ginger-mint-tea/
Yum I love chai! I am curious why it is evaporated milk and not just regular milk. Thickness? I am going to try this!
I love chai, but rarely have it because I don’t love most commercial versions, and I didn’t know how to make it at home. Thank you for this recipe!
Zaynab Issa’s recipes are UNREAL good. I am so psyched to get this cookbook!!!
This is a delightful piece, thanks. I would like to put a pitch in for my favorite chai blend. There is a venerable old tea importer in the U.S., Mark T Wendell. I love their chai blend. Really nice black tea leaves, and also such fragrant and lovely spices.
I visited the company website and enjoyed reading their history. Their tea prices are very reasonable. In 1981 I worked for the VP of The Henry P Thompson tea importer in Madison NJ. It was a fascinating assignment. Bills of Lading, teletype communication with Sri Lanka, tea testings.
That photo of Zaynab is so striking!!
I thought so too, she is so elegant.
Reading this made me think of our Tunisian/Moroccan Mint family tea tradition after dinner. It follows the same “rules” but the recipe is different. Green tea vs black tea Mint vs cardamom and of course sugar!
I love Moroccan mint tea and would love to be more authentic in how I prepare it! Would you mind sharing how long you boil/steep the mint leaves in the tea before serving?
Chai is an emotion. Everyone has their way of making it; there’s no right or wrong way, and it’s what gives us the most comfort. Chai helps me slow down, savor every piping hot sip, savor dunks of sweet Parle G biscuits or buttered pav, but mostly chai reminds me to live in the present and savor time alone or with friends and family.
I went to India in 1998 to work with an orphanage. That’s when I learned to make chai. Been perfecting my recipe for 20+ years! So fun to experiment with the fresh spices. I think Assam CTC works best. Now we’re helping that orphanage from chai sales! 🥰
Do you have a link to purchase the chai?!
I’d also love that link.
Found it! https://charliejoechai.com/
My mouth is watering!
Everything in this post sounds amazing!! 🤩
Chai is a love language growing up in my Bengali household. I have so many beautiful childhood memories centering chai. My parents boil water on the stove in a little milk pot, use loose leaf black tea, and the key to a Bengali chai is using milk powder like Dano (Nido if Dano wasn’t available). When my mom would make tea when her friends were visiting, all the kids would internally cheer because that meant they would at least sit for another hour to chat which meant more unsupervised play time for us! My dad would pour some tea on a saucer for us kids to sip from or let us dunk our Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies into his chai.(saa is what we call it in our Bengali dialect). I remember coming over to my parents house one day with my kids who at the time were babies. My mom asked me if I would like chai, something we made in the evening everyday growing up. I burst out crying in my new mom haze and possibly post partum blues. She asked what was wrong very concerned. I told her I hadn’t been able to make or drink chai since my kids were home because I had no time for myself. Immediately she made me a cup of chai, made me sit down at the table and literally shooed everyone out of the kitchen so I could have my chai hot. I had never felt so taken care of. Nowadays, I make coffee everyday and my kids love helping me and chai is usually a treat here and there. However, they this post inspired me to begin to make chai nightly so my kids can also have these lovely memories of chai, of their culture and heritage. Chai is in our blood, my grandfather was a manager of a large tea garden back home in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Now when I get together with my friends who are also Bengali, we know right after dinner, one of us for sure will go and put a pot of water on to boil for chai and a long cozy evening of laughter and conversation. I want to highlight 2 places for chai here in NYC- Haideri chai in Jackson Heights, a tiny hole in the whole where the tea seller makes 5 different types of chai (masala, doodh- milk etc). My favorite is the Kashmiri chai- it’s a Kashmiri specialty of a pink tea with coconut and pistachios. Qahwah House- a Yemeni coffee/ tea house all over NYC. Their adeni chai, fragrance with cardamom is delicious!! 2 plugs for delicious tea.
My husband from Bangladesh and lived in Queens during his teens! Chai is one of my favorite parts of the family gathering with his cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. I’m Italian and our traditions center around espresso throughout the day. I love imagining introducing our baby to espresso and chai and what a fantastic in-road these are to him understanding his heritage.
This is so lovely.
kay from queens, i love all your comments, but especially this one!
Wow, I’m in that neighborhood all the time to eat pad Thai at Chef CBTM Bistro, get my eyebrows threaded, and then shop at Patel Brothers. I have never noticed Haideri Chai. I will make it a point to stop in for a cup!
Regina, why was my first thought after reading your comment, I wonder if I know him or am related to him lol Smoothliminal- thank you! Sometimes I think I’m too aggressive for Cup of Jo readers, but it be’s like that if you’re from NYC lol Loren- it’s almost like a stall. The address is 7208 Broadway, across the street from Dera. They own a paan shop right next door. I grab a cup of chai, and head over to get the best beef momos (they also have chicken and veggie) from Potala Fresh Food truck.
Must try! And looking forward to getting a copy of Zaynab’s cookbook from our library (there’s already a wait list!) Does Zaynab use green or black cardamom pods?
In my experience, black pods are devoted to savoury whereas green are used for sweet dishes. However, green pods can cross over i.e. you will see green pods in chai or in pulao/pulav (fragrant rice). I haven’t seen black pods replacing green that often during my travels. In a pinch, anything should do.
Yeah Black pods is used in savory dishes like Pulao/ biryani/ karma etc. Green pods are used for tea and many of the Indian sweet dishes
I’ve grown up drinking chai and the best one I’ve ever had is Tiger Chai They brew it in my hometown in Bellingham, WA. What I love is they use real spices not flavoring. If you like chai, the owner also brews a lot of her own chai blends, she’s from India and her chai blends are amazing
Beautiful
It was so interesting and surprising to see how different this recipe is from the Punjabi version I grew up with. I had no idea there was such a variance in chai making but it makes sense! Thanks to Zaynab for sharing a part of her upbringing with us.
In the early 2000’s my sister did a medical fellowship in India. Among the gifts she brought back was chai in small silk satchels. It wasn’t popular in the US like it is now and I had never heard of it. She would make it for me over the stove, adding milk and some sugar. I thought it was amazing! Crazy to think how mainstream it is nowadays.
LOVE THIS! I’m a big fan of chai, having previously bought the packaged kind of Kolkata chai here in NYC, but excited to try to assemble this myself. Also – how gorgeous is Zaynab?!
What a lovely post! As a desi kid who has grown up in America, I was so thrilled to see today’s topic! Each family tends to have their own signature chai recipe… but the joy is in sharing this with each other :) In my own experience, being asked to watch the boiling water steeping with spices, hearing the Aunties chit chat… these are my childhood memories around chai. As an adult, I love a good black tea most mornings, but on super cold or rainy days, there’s nothing like a warm cup of chai to soothe the soul. I have not tried Zaynab’s version- sounds deliciously decadant. Also greatly appreciate the idea of creating a moment with your tea; the cooking, the presenting, the savoring. For anyone interested in other chai options, my mother in law has a little tea shop in Bellingham, Washington she started more than 20 years ago. She has a whole line of chai (tea bags or loose leaf, loads of different flavor profiles, with or without caffeine) and has recently started a concentrate called Tiger Chai (a portion of each purchase goes to a tiger reserve in India) which is pre-sweetened but you can add whatever milk you prefer. https://thefirstsipoftea.com/ Cheers to chai and to all the warmth it brings!
No way!!! I totally just posted about this company, too!! :) def give it a try
Hi Jasmine, I loved reading your comment and reading your memory of watching the tea while aunties chat in the background. My family and I spent a large part of last summer in Bellingham and fell in love with the city. We hope to go back again next summer and I’m bookmarking your mom’s tea shop to visit!
Ooh! My son is headed to WWU this fall! He’s obsessed with tea- especially chai. I’ll have to send him her way!
Excited to try this local chai! And this WWU prof is happy to share in the Bellingham love.
Oooh delicious! Excited to try it. The only other recipe I’ve used is the one that was featured here over a decade ago (which is also so so good): https://cupofjo.com/2013/09/25/the-best-masala-chai/
Will be making this . I would LOVE the deets on the tray and the tea pot, that’s what held my attention.
I’m going to be obstreperous here but it is Assam tea not “English black tea”. Let’s stop attributing godly goodness such as tea to the British. They stole it. Decolonise our minds and language.
x2
I hear you, and generally agree! But I think English black tea in general refers to a blend of different tea varieties known as English Breakfast. A recipe of sorts. I could be wrong but I think that is what is meant.
@Lora — “english breakfast” = whatever was/is cheap enough at the time for the average drinker. It’s been made with Assam teas, Keemun teas, and east African teas. just a “basic” black tea that’s not too fancy/fine/rare, and that will hold up to milk and sugar.
Thank you for sharing the chai recipe. I ordered variations of chai with different spices from https://www.teabox.com/. I like the various flavors and boil a small amount with water for a few minutes, and then add milk and honey. It is very satisfying and I take turns between the chai and my afternoon coffee.
Nisha Sharma’s romances have such great diaspora food moments, my personal favorite being Tastes Like Shakkar. Chai features heavily, and it’s such a good enemies to lovers with a wedding planner and a chef collaborating on their pals’ wedding
Turmeric!
I’m so accustomed (addicted) to the fake Starbucks version that I dont even know if I’d like the true traditional chai but I’m sure willing to try. Thanks for sharing Zaynab with us!
Sadly the Starbucks version bears little resemblance to authentic chai :(
Courtney M, I was the same way with Sbx for a few years…but then I was introduced to the *amazing* house blended chai from a local coffee shop & roaster, and I am forever converted. Cannot stand the Sbux ‘chai’ now! I have literally thrown away an entire cup. I encourage you to shop around…most local/small places also have simple syrup out, making it easy to sweeten if you’re not as familiar with their spice-forward version. it’s a fun adventure to discover more chai!
I grew up as a third-culture kid in Kenya and grew up loving Kenyan chai (and my favorite Indian food is what I grew up eating in Kenya). Now I live in the states and will eat very Portland food one night – local steelhead and veggies – and the next will be cooking sukuma wiki & ugali from ingredients I’ve had my mom carry back to me in her suitcase. This cookbook sounds AMAZING and like home.
I love to add lots of fresh ginger & cracked black pepper to mine!
Anyone else lactose intolerant? What can I use instead of the evaporated milk? Thank you!
Check to see if your grocery store has evaporated soy or coconut milk! Or I wonder if you could use a really well-shaken canned coconut milk…
Try a coffee house style (thicker) oat milk like Thrive, Oatlly, or Minor Figures. These are labled as “barista” oat milks. I also like the coconut milk suggestion below, though you might want to use coconut cream and add water to your desired consistency. With both you may need to add sugar, as evaporated milk contains additional sugar (3%)
Yes – I am Indian American, grew up with masala chai, and love it – it was hard to try to figure out how to make oat milk work. Trick is to add it after the water/tea/spices combo has boiled, and just heat it up before boiling. Unlike dairy milk, boiling oat milk can cause it to curdle or thicken too much. Good luck!
Ohh I want to try it his recipe! As someone who loves chai, but cannot make it like this everyday, I have to promote the brand Blue Lotus Chai. They have black tea chai and a decaf rooibos chai powder, and they are both soo good! I drink it every morning, and it’s just a small scoop of the powder, just boiled water, and I add honey and oat milk to taste. It definitely scratches the itch! Of course, would be lovely to make this recipe on a slower morning! (I totally can’t do caffeine after noon) Lovely post!!
I agree, Blue Lotus is the best option out of all the brands I desperately tried after a masala chai-filled trip to India.
I just ordered their chai sampler. Thxs for the rec!
Love Blue Lotus!! Everyone I make it for asks me where I got it.
Lovely prep and ritual! Beautiful photo. One of my fav spice combos. And yes, so flexible. My friends from the spice selling globe taught me. Star anise and a few whole cloves, a nob of fresh ginger. RAW white Honey for controlled sweetness if desired and always whole milk. I also recommend it iced. Chai ice cubes highly recommend. Chai spiced shortbread cookies delish.
This looks like the perfect drink to serve a friend who doesn’t drink coffee. Delicious!
Diaspora Co has a lovely Chai masala. You just add tea, milk (or a non-dairy option), and sweetener. Start with a small amount of masala like a quarter teaspoon for a cup. They also sell cardamoms, cloves and other spices you can add to your chai if you want to experiment. Great YouTube videos if you want to learn more.
Came here to recommend Diaspora Co! Their chai masala (and their recipe for it) is so dreamy 🤤 I’ve always been blown away by their spices, their ethos, and the way they conduct their business.
Here to add a 3rd recommendation for Diaspora Co chai masala. I am Indian and VERY picky about premade chai spice blends or tea bags and this one is just like homemade.
Their dried ground pink garlic is amazing. Not too sharp and very fresh. They sent out a tariff concern email today. Understandably worried for them, of course.
Another rec for Diaspora Co! I love their chai: https://www.diasporaco.com/products/chai-masala?variant=42725186666667. This recipe sounds amazing too and I can’t wait to look into the other brands mentioned. There is something really lovely about taking the few extra minutes some days to treat yourself like this.
I love the ritual of tea, and it’s so wonderful to meet Zaynab. Can’t wait to check out her cookbook!
In case anyone else knows they won’t be able to find whole cardamom pods, I looked this up: 13 cardamom pods are equivalent to about 1 1/4 teaspoons of ground cardamom.
As a woman married to an Indian man who once thought I could replace whole cardamom pods with ground cardamom…the taste will not be the same. You can find cardamom pods at Indian stores like Patel bros. You can probably also order online if you don’t have a store nearby.
Thank you !!
Penzeys sells cardamom pods: https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/cardamom-black-pods/c-24/p-1230/pd-s
So nice to meet Zaynab! What other spices do folks put in their chai? I was introduced to delicious chai by some lovely Indian-Canadian mothers and grandmothers so I usually include a bay leaf, peppercorns and sometimes fennel. I use green cardamom pods but I have heard black cardamom pods have a lovely distinct flavor.
I love to add fresh ginger
I do star anise and cracked black pepper, fresh ginger, and the Rani brand chai masala.
I love these flavors and the ritual of tea! Any suggestions for making it caffeine-free? Do you think using rooibos as a base would work?
Agreed! I love tea, but I’m caffeine sensitive and only do decaf beverages. I’m always amazed when I see people drinking caffeine after dinner!
I buy decaffeinated black tea, it’s easy to find in a larger grocery store.
My friend makes it with rooiboos and says it is great!
I’d look for a caffeine free assam (black tea), like this one: https://www.clippershipteaco.com/products/decaf-assam
I’d use (and I do use) decaf Yorkshire Gold tea. Rooibos would work but would have a different flavor.
Same! I’d love to try a caffeine-free version. Maybe just using decaf black teabags?
The decaf version of Barry’s Tea! My sister’s Irish partner Emma introduced us – she brings it with her everywhere she travels. It’s great, and it will closely approximate PG Tips or Tetley in this (Emma would undoubtably argue that it will only make it better haha)
I’ve used rooibos and it’ll do!
Sarah, that was my thought as well…if I drink any caffeine after 1 pm I will not sleep that night! I’ve never had coffee and only rarely drink tea or cola beverages so maybe I’m just really sensitive to caffeine. Anyway, decaf sounds like a great solution because the ritual of tea after dinner to extend the time spent together with family sounds lovely.
Here in Portland, OR we have a tea company named Portal Tea; they make a super tasty decaf chai with honeybush tea, tulsi basil, nettles, cinnamon, mint, clove, licorice, and cardamom.