Karak Chai: Authentic Chai Recipe

Karak Chai is a sweet and fragrant black tea chai that is spiced with aromatic spices and herbs. All the flavors are brought together and balanced by the thickened milk. It has strong tones of tea coupled with the undertones of spices like ginger, clover, cardamom, and cinnamon. This Indian tea will boost your energy level with some added health benefits of the whole spices.

The literal translation of Karak chai is a ‘strong tea’. It is an Indian way of making tea that will give your day a much-needed boost. The Indian chai is made by cooking milk and sugar with tea. Along comes a lot of spices and herbs that have added health benefits.

Chai is native to India but not limited to India. Neighboring countries of India and the middle east have developed their versions of chai.   Today chai has become a global phenomenon. Most beverage franchises have added it to their list like Starbucks is selling its version, the chai tea latte.

But today we are going to make the authentic but quick way of making Indian Karak Tea.

How does Karak chai taste?

A sweet and creamy tea with a strong tone of black tea with mildly spicy hints of ginger, clove, and pepper. The strong spices are balanced by the sweet and aromatic cardamom and cinnamon.

What is so great about this Karak chai recipe?

• This is an easy recipe that anybody can make.
  
• It is an authentic chai recipe with herbs and spices just in a perfect amount to flavor your Karak tea.
  
• Also, the spices and herbs have health benefits that make this kayak chai a medicinal potion, especially in winter.
  
• As the name suggests, it is a strong tea that will give you a strong energy boost.
  
• This is a quick recipe to make Karak tea as we are replacing whole milk with evaporated milk and reducing the simmering time.
  
• Yes, this is a delicious cup of tea, and you will get addicted for sure!
  

🫖 Ingredients required for making  Karak Chai

Let us explore further what ingredients we need for making karak tea, often pronounced as Kadak chai in India.

1. Tea leaves

The tea that you need is the black CTC tea that goes by the name of chaipatti ( cahi-patti) in India. It is different from traditional tea in the way that it is processed post-harvest. It is almost always made with black tea leaves.

CTC is a process of crushing, tearing, and curling the black tea leaves by passing them through a series of cylindrical rollers that have numerous sharp teeth that make tea into small hard pallets.

So chai patti is the fine dust to large pallets of tea that is processed through CTC technology.

 Traditionally, chaipatti is what needs to be used for making Indian masala chai and Kadak chai. Simply because it has a stronger flavor than the tea leaves and that is what makes this tea karak.

Assam tea, Darjeeling tea, and Nilgiri Tea work great. But in case of non-availability, you can use any kind of loose-leaf tea that you have on hand. I would suggest avoiding tea bags.

2. Evaporated Milk

Conventionally milk is used to smoothen the flavors and add richness to the chai. It is then cooked for a long time to evaporate the milk and thicken the chai. But who has this much time to simmer the tea?

 In India, there are tea stalls where tea is simmered for hours and then served. At home, we can get that creaminess by substituting whole milk with evaporated milk.

Some people also like to add condensed milk, but I think that it makes the chai too sweet. And you cannot control the creaminess or the sweetness.

You can also use vegan evaporated milk. But if you are using whole milk keep in mind that you will be required to add more milk and let it simmer for 15 minutes or so.

3. Sugar

White castor sugar is the sweetener that we need to make our chai sweet. We Indian do not compromise on sugar.

But if you are diabetic or on a sugar-free diet, you can use a sugar-free sweetener like sucralose, stevia, saccharin, etc.

4. Spices and herbs

There is a whole array of spices and herbs that can be added to the Karak chai. But First I will state the ones that are kind of basic and must.

1. Cloves: We need 1 clove per cup of tea. Do not powder it or something. We just need to crush it coarsely.
   
2. Cardamom pods: 1 cardamom pod per cup of tea. To release the flavor of the cardamom pods we will crush them to first release the seeds and then crush the seeds further before adding them to the chai. It is very easy to do with the blow of a pestle and mortar. More on it in the process section.
   
3. Fresh Giger: fresh ginger is a must in any kind of chai recipe. Some people use dry ginger powder (saunth) but trust me fresh ginger is way better.
   
4. Black pepper: Add 2 peppercorns per cup of tea. Just give them a coarse crush in a pestle and mortar. You can also use coarsely ground peppers, about ⅛^th of a teaspoon.
   
5. Cinnamon stick: If you are using cinnamon powder, use just a teeny tiny pinch.
   

In addition to this, you can add tulsi extract (Indian Basil extract), anise seeds, allspice, nutmeg, star anise, Banafsha (Dry wild violet flowers), or whole mace ( Javathri).

All these herbs have specific medicinal properties and adding them to your tea, brings all those benefits to you with a kick of caffeine.

Also, there are a few brands that sell chai with pre-mixed herbs. You can go for such karak chai powder if convenience is your priority.

🔪 How to make Karak Chai?

Step 1 Preparing spices mix

To make Karak chai start by pulling out all the spices that you need and giving them a quick crush in a pestle and mortar. Add cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar and crush them coarsely, such that the cardamom pods open and the seeds get crushed. Now add fresh ginger and crush it also.  Set aside.

Step 2 Steep tea and spices in boiling water

Into a saucepan add 1 cup of water. Put it on a medium flame and add the crushed spice mix and a cinnamon stick.

Bring it to a boil and then add chai patti ( CTC tea), or the loose-leaf black tea of your choice. Let it steep in boiling water for 4 minutes. The water should be on a rolling boil for strong flavor extraction from the tea.  That is what makes the chai karak.

Unlike European-style tea, where we avoid too much tannin extraction into the tea, Indian chai aims to extract maximum tannins by steeping the tea leaves at a rolling boil.

Step 3 Add evaporated milk and simmer

Now add 1 ¼ cup of evaporated milk followed by sugar. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and liking.

 Now reduce the heat to medium-low and let the chai simmer for 5-7 minutes. Please keep an eye as chai might boil out of the saucepan. So, maintain the heat at which kadak chai can simmer without boiling out of the saucepan.

If you are adding whole milk instead of evaporated milk, which is the natural choice in India. You might wanna add 1 ½ cups whole milk and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the chai becomes thick and creamy.

Step 4 Sieve and serve Karak Chai

Now place a small fine mesh metal strainer on the cup and strain the tea into the cup. Similarly, fill the other cup also.

And there you have a warm, delicious, creamy, spicy, and fully addictive kadak drink, Indian Kadak chai!

So, basically, that is how you make the best Indian tea.

💭 Pro Tips for making a perfect Karak Chai

• Use dry ginger powder to replace fresh ginger.
  
• Use a pinch of ground cinnamon to substitute cinnamon bark.
  
• Use coarsely crushed clove and black pepper. These are strong spices for a sweet drink. If you use very fine powdered spice just a pinch of it.
  
• To make vegan Karak chai, use plant-based milk or evaporated coconut milk. Also, use maple syrup or vegan sugar to substitute cane sugar.
  
• Also, you can use, sugar-free sweeteners to make sugar-free Karak chai.
  
• Keep an eye on the saucepan as sometimes chai boils over the edges of the saucepan. Reduce the heat if something like that starts to happen.
  
• It is best to use a metal strainer. You can also use a plastic strainer, which I have tested, it does not melt with hot tea. But avoid using cloth as tea color with permanently stay on the piece of cloth.
  

❓Frequently Asked Questions

☕️Suggested tea recipes

• Caramel Milk Tea
  
• Lychee tea: Sweet fruit-scented tea recipe
  
• Honeydew Milk Tea | Honeydew Boba
  
• Strawberry Milk Tea: Boba Tea with fresh Strawberries!
  
• Peach Milk Tea: Peach Flavor Bubble Tea
  
• Mango Bubble Tea: Homemade Mango Milk Tea
  
• Matcha Chai Latte
  
• Strawberry matcha latte
  

Karak chai tastes like a sweet, thick, creamy, strong black tea coupled with sweet, spicy, and aromatic spices. It is just how Arabic chai tastes as both the recipes are very close.

I hope you will love this karak chai recipe. If you liked this chai matcha latte, leave a rating. Share your results and opinions in the comment section below. Also, subscribe to never miss a recipe.

Till then,

Make it delicious and quick!

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Karak Chai

Karak Chai is a sweet and fragrant black tea chai that is spiced with aromatic spices and herbs. All the flavors are brought together and balanced by the thickened milk. It has strong tones of tea coupled with the undertones of spices like ginger, clover, cardamom, and cinnamon. This Indian tea will boost your energy level with some added health benefits of the whole spices.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Indian

Keyword indian chai, kadak chai, karak chai, karak chai tea, karak milk tea, karak tea, karak tea ingredients

Prep Time 1 minute minute

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 256kcal

Author Meenakshi

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Pestle and mortar
• Small metal strainer

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 4 whole black peppercorns or ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1- inch fresh ginger
• 1½ teaspoon Chai patti
• A cinnamon stick or a pinch of ground cinnamon

Instructions

Step 1 Preparing spices mix

• To make Karak chai start by adding cardamom pods, cloves, and black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar and crush them coarsely, such that the cardamom pods open and the seeds get crushed.
• Now add fresh ginger and crush it also.
• Set aside.

Step 2 Steep tea and spices in boiling water

• Into a saucepan add 1 cup of water.
• Keep it on a medium flame and add the crushed spice mix and a cinnamon stick.
• Bring it to a boil and then add chai patti ( CTC tea), or the loose-leaf black tea of your choice.
• Let it steep in boiling water for 4 minutes. The water should be on a rolling boil for strong flavor extraction from the tea.

Step 3 Add evaporated milk and simmer

• Now add 1 ¼ cup of evaporated milk followed by sugar. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and liking.
• Now reduce the heat to medium-low and let the Karak chai simmer for 5-7 minutes. Please keep an eye as chai might boil out of the saucepan. So, maintain the heat at which kadak chai can simmer without boiling out of the saucepan.

Step 4 Sieve and serve

• Now place a small fine mesh metal strainer on the cup and strain the tea into the cup. Similarly, fill the other cup also.
• And there you have two cups of warm, delicious, creamy, spicy, and fully addictive kadak chai!

Notes

• Unlike European-style tea, where we avoid too much tannin extraction into the tea, Indian chai aims to extract maximum tannins by steeping the tea leaves at a rolling boil. So, it needs to be brewed in boiling water.
• If you are adding whole milk instead of evaporated milk, which is the natural choice in India. You might wanna add 1 ½ cups whole milk and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the chai becomes thick and creamy. 
• Use dry ginger powder to replace fresh ginger. 
• Use a pinch of ground cinnamon to substitute cinnamon bark.
• Use coarsely crushed clove and black pepper. These are strong spices for a sweet drink. If you use very fine powdered spice just a pinch of it. 
• To make vegan Karak chai, use plant-based milk or evaporated coconut milk. Also, use maple syrup or vegan sugar to substitute cane sugar.
• Also, you can use, sugar-free sweeteners to make sugar-free Karak chai.
• Keep an eye on the saucepan as sometimes chai boils over the edges of the saucepan. Reduce the heat if something like that starts to happen.
• It is best to use a metal strainer. You can also use a plastic strainer, which I have tested, it does not melt with hot tea. But avoid using cloth as tea color with permanently stay on the piece of cloth.

📋Nutrition Facts