20-05-2025
Different ways to enjoy masala chai
On International Tea Day (May 21), how about a bite of it too? Indians are not made for faint teas. Kadak chai, with the aroma of ginger floating in the air as the wake-up call, is our style. On festive days, our chai is festive too. A wave of special masalas for tea fights to overpower the delicate fragrance from those exorbitant candles.
Masala chai, especially, is a game changer, the mention of which has the power to change the mood from dull to energetic. When Indians have experimented and managed to give momo and sushi an Indian avatar, will chai be left behind?
Fuelled by TasteAtlas's ranking of masala chai as the world's second most popular non-alcoholic beverage (in 2024), chefs got into a tizzy to create tea-based desserts. For instance, chai and masala phirni, masala chai cheesecake, masala chai tiramisu, xandoh guri and saah (roasted rice powder with tea).
Chef Francis Fernandez with Sodexo shares a quick tip, 'When you have the ganache with real tea decoction ready, you can make anything from chocolates to mousse. Our team prepared a masala chai chocolate as a finale to an Indian dining experience for a French team leader. We infused masala chai flavour with dark chocolate.'
Does real chai go into making these desserts, or can one get the desired flavours from a spice mix of ginger, elaichi and cinnamon? 'Absolutely, the actual masala chai is important in preparing any chai-flavoured dessert. I also love the masala chai macaron that we make. I have also witnessed continental chefs smoke the meat with tea leaves.' Masala chai chocolate was also a limited edition creation by craft chocolate brand Paul and Mike.
When chai is served, why leave the accompaniment? Rusk and chai combo is the Indian quick fix to the kuchisabishii (Japanese term to eat or snack, not out of hunger, but because your mouth feels bored). Thus, the Masala Chai Rusk Tiramisu was created by London-based Rishi Nanavati. This MasterChef London participant recreated the classic Italian dessert using a classic Indian pairing — tiramisu with masala chai and rusk. In this dessert, he replaced the savoivardi with rusk, coffee with tea and introduced flavours of masala chai.
He also apologises to the Italians for adding the Indian tweak to their classic dessert.
Another example of pairing chai with a traditional dish is Assamese chef Farha Naaz's dessert named Handoh Guri with Saah and Mascarpone. She paired the state's (Assam) most common cereal pairing — roasted rice powder (handoh) with tea. Reimagined it in a modern avatar served it with a dust of flavoured roasted tea powder and mascarpone and candied ginger.
In Hilton, Tokyo, executive pastry chef Ratheesh Unni Nair used his masala chai creme brulee technique to create Jasmine tea creme for a mango pastry. Ratheesh said, 'I was inspired to create Masala Chai Creme Brulee to show Indian and Western fusion. I infused masala tea into the cream and milk to make the creme brulee. Infusing actual masala chai is the key to making the chai flavour stand out.'
Still prefer drinking your masala chai? Program director at Sago House Singapore Ronan Keilthy said when they imagined a masala chai cocktail they had a lot of fun infusing the flavours of masala chai. He said, 'It was a clean and simple cocktail where the spices and the tea played muse with alcohol.'
The trending ones are masala chai martini and masala chai toddy. These have nothing to do to LIT (Long Island Tea). Non alcoholic tea drinks, some with the masala chai and some without the masala too are the ones to look forward to.
Chennai-based chef Vignesh Ramachandran has created a Masala Chai Lemon Iced Tea (no milk) and an Irani Chai Bubble Tea — Hyderabadi answer to the classic Thai Milk Tea Boba. These are available at Coffee Sangam, his newest venture in Hyderabad. Explaining how it is done, he said, 'For Masala Lemon Iced tea, cardamom and ginger are infused with black tea and served chilled with lemon and mint. Irani Chai Bubble Tea is an intense Irani chai flavoured with cardamom. It is served cold with tapioca boba.' Both teas were moderately sweet. Masala Lemon Iced tea definitely owes a hat tip to masala chai.
How about popping a bottle of tea for your next party? Copenhagen Sparkling Tea, now available in India, is a blend of Nordic innovation with Asian tea traditions. Think floral fusion of Jasmine, chamomile, and Darjeeling First Flush.
Nadia Sood, co-founder of Bebida Hospitality, says, 'Copenhagen Sparkling Tea is a gamechanger at parties because it can be served for anyone, from 10-year-olds to the 80-year-old. It is non alcoholic and low on sugar content of alcoholic drinks. It comes in three variants in India (LYSERØD, LYSEGRØN and BLÅ), each combining organic white, Oolong, green, and black teas. We like to position ourself as a healthy option that is not fizzy and alcoholic.' It is vegan.
In a classic twist of having your cake and eating it too, masala chai confirms you can drink it and eat it too.
