Indian Chai

Check out this delicious recipe from Vegan Richa’s Instant Pot Cookbook: 150 Plant-Based Recipes from Indian Cuisine and Beyond, available on May 24th from Hachette Go.
Chai is a routine in Indian homes. It needs good-quality, fresh loose-tea leaves, a well-balanced chai spice blend (chai masala), and a long boiling time to develop the flavor. Traditional Indian chai spice tends to be heavy on cardamom and light on cinnamon, but you can try any blend you like. Loose tea varies in flavor and strength, so adjust the amount according to your preference.

While it may seem cumbersome to make chai in an Instant Pot, the recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or quadrupled, making it handy for entertaining. The number of times my mom would make huge pots of chai during the holiday season was reason enough to have a hands-free option.

Cuisine

Indian

Course

Beverages

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15-30 min

Diet

Gluten Free

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook

Keywords

15-30 min, 2 large servings or 4 indian-size servings, beverages, chai masala, contributed, cook 15 min, easy, fresh ginger, gluten free, indian, loose-leaf tea, or oat milk, plain unsweetened almond, prep 5 min, pressure cook, soy, to 2sugar or other sweetener, water

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

15 min

Servings

2 large servings or 4 Indian-size servings

Ingredients

2 cups plain unsweetened almond, soy, or oat milk,
3/4 cup Water
1/4 tsp chai masala
1 tbsp to 2sugar or other sweetener
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp loose-leaf tea
1 piece fresh ginger

Instructions

Combine the nondairy milk, water, chai masala, and sugar in an Instant Pot and mix well. Place the loose-leaf tea and ginger in a spice bag or tea infuser and add to the pot; if using tea bags, add them and the ginger directly to the pot. Lock the lid into place, set the Pressure Release Knob to Sealing, select the Pressure Cook/Manual setting at high pressure, and set the cook time to 3 minutes (4 minutes for stronger tea).
Once the cooking cycle is done, let the pressure release naturally for 2 minutes, then carefully set the Pressure Release Knob from Sealing to Venting and release in short bursts to release any remaining pressure. Open the lid and remove the spice bag, if using. If you placed the tea bags and ginger directly in the pot to heat, remove the bags and strain out the ginger before serving. Pour the chai into cups and serve.
Chai is freezer-friendly; you can make larger portions at a time, freeze, then reheat to serve.

Notes

NOTES
To make chai masala for a single batch, combine 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom with generous pinches of ground cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. Or swap in two cardamom pods, opened, one whole clove, and one-quarter of a cinnamon stick. Scale up as needed. I use a tea infuser to avoid needing to strain the hot tea before serving.
PER SERVING (with almond milk) Calories 61, total fat 3 g, saturated fat 1 g, sodium 210 mg, carbs 7 g, fiber 1 g, sugar 6 g, protein 1 g.

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