What is Masala Tea, What are its Benefits?

Masala tea is the most loved beverage in India. After 5000 years, it took its present form. It is a mixture of spices and milk.

Masala, a tea unique to India, is made from a mixture of various spices and herbs. The word meaning of masala is “mixed spice tea“. Masala, which is a famous hot drink used very often in South Asian and Far East countries, especially in India, is preferred especially in winter months. In general, we can say that it is a tea where “spice mixtures meet with milk”. Masala, which is more popular than coffee, is also very beneficial for health. We are talking about a natural antibiotic tea, where you can get vitamins and minerals from many herbs and spices with a single tea. What is masala tea, which is a medicinal mixture that can give you the energy you need daily, with which spices and herbs it is made with, are there different recipes, what are the benefits? You can find answers to these questions in our article.

Traces of masala can be found in the origins of traditional Kadha, which is used for healing purposes in Ayurvedic medicine. At that time, every edible herb or spice was brewed and consumed. However, at that time, milk and tea leaves were not added to boiled spices. Tea experts and historians speculate that milk was added to spice blends under the influence of gardeners and travelers and traders from Bengal and Gujarat. Tea consumption was encouraged in India in the early 1930s; however, the tea leaves used in the drinks were quite expensive. For this reason, Indians began to combine milk and spices to make their drinks more palatable. The popularity of masala tea increased among the Indian masses in the 1960s. It is stated that the British played a role in the development of the Masala. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the British-owned Indian Tea Society encouraged its workers in textile factories and mines to take a tea break. Here they sold the tea at cheap prices. Masala, which became a habit for most workers, became a popular beverage. Masala shops have become new places where men socialize over time.It is known as “Indian tea“. Although it is known as herbal tea, it is not herbal tea. It is known as “Masala Chai” or “Chai” in Indian language. It is obtained from a mixture of Indian-style spices and herbs. When milk is added, it is preferred instead of coffee. It already looks like a coffee with milk. Masala, which is very popular in Far East countries, especially in India, is a type of tea that has increased in popularity in Western countries in recent years. In western countries, more cream and milk can be added additionally. In popular cafes, masala tea is served with a lot of cream and milk under the name “chai latte“.

What are the Benefits of Masala?

Mala, which contains so many beneficial ingredients, naturally contains many benefits for human health. It is recommended to use skimmed milk and not sugar while preparing masala tea. Of course, you can use them according to your taste, provided that you do not overdo it.

If you can provide the necessary materials, you can prepare it at home. Thus, you get a fresher, more delicious and more beneficial tea. The doses and amounts in the recipe for masala tea for four people can be reduced or decreased in equal proportions according to the number of people. You can also find many different recipes. You can increase or decrease the variety of spices. In some recipes, different spices can be found. For example, not everyone may want much milk; then less milk can be added.

The recipe for Masala tea is quite optional. In other words, you can get different flavors under the name of “masala” by adding your favorite spices. For example, you have the opportunity to use a different spice or herb instead of an ingredient you can’t find. You can also use the spices you use in powder or whole form. For example, if you can’t find cinnamon sticks, use ground cinnamon! After adding the main ingredients, the secondary spices or ingredients are up to your taste and dexterity! The commonly used recipe for masala, which is a tea that you can easily prepare with the ingredients you buy from herbalists or spice shops, is as follows;

Ingredients for Masala tea;

8 cardamom seeds
4 whole cloves
4 unground black pepper
1 stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 star anise
600 ml water
100 ml milk (can be used with or without fat) )
3 teapots of tea bags or 2 tablespoons of powdered black tea
2 teaspoons of granulated sugar (honey can also be added upon request)

Well, how do these ingredients work into masala tea? turns? In fact, it has a recipe for preparing food rather than tea.

Recipe:

The main ingredients of cardamom, star anise, cinnamon sticks, black pepper and cloves are pounded in a mortar and crumbled. .

Crushed spices, powdered ginger and water are boiled in a saucepan. According to your preference, you can boil the water first and then add the spice powders. But make sure that the lid of the pot is closed! When it boils, the stove is turned off and the mixture is expected to infuse for about 5 minutes. After the mixture is brewed, milk is added to the pot. The milk and mixture are kept on the burning stove again until it boils. It is necessary to stir the mixture from time to time. When the milk boils, the tea bags are thrown into the mixture. The lid of the pot is closed, a cover is laid on it and it is expected to infuse for another 5 to 10 minutes. After brewing, you can strain the mixture into a teapot. You can serve it with sugar, honey or a sweetener of your choice. You can also drink it without sugar!

Different ingredients can be used in addition to the ingredients in this recipe or instead of some spices. For example; Ingredients such as fennel, coriander, allspice, licorice, vanilla, saffron, rose petal, cumin, black cumin, cocoa, lemon, coconut, green tea, yerba mate, rooibos tea and almond can also be used. In some recipes, buffalo milk is preferred instead of cow’s milk.

It is the most favorite beverage of the Indians is used.
Different masala tea recipes are applied in different regions of India. Almost every family has a different masala recipe.
The recipes in Western countries also differ from those in India.
Masala is a general name of medicinal plants used in alternative medicine in India. Spices used in the field of “Ayuverdic medicine” are also called “masala”.
If sugar and milk are not used in masala, it does not contain calories. Of course, milk-free masala tea can turn into a different mixture!
Masala tea can be consumed by keeping it in the refrigerator for a few days after it cools.
If you want to drink masala tea in Istanbul, “Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant” in Taksim Tünel, Taksim Talimhane’ “Musafir Indian Restaurant” in Istanbul and “Dubb Indian Restaurant” in Sultanahmet are the places you are looking for…
The world’s best quality teas are produced in India.