If you want to make masala chai exactly how a Chaiwala does on the streets of New Delhi then there’s quite a big difference to my simple Simple Masala Chai (Indian Milk Tea) Recipe.
This is the recipe I’ve learnt from the streets of Delhi. I’ve included a video of how it’s made at the bottom of this post too.
Ingredients (Serves: 1)

- 1/4 cup water.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon.
- 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger.
- 3/4 cup single-toned buffalo milk. (Cheaper milk in the supermarket won’t cut it, you need to buy the most natural and unprocessed milk you can find. Ideally Buffalo milk if available.)
- 1 teaspoon black tea.
- 2 teaspoons of white sugar.
- 1/4 teaspoon Chai Masala (Everest’s Tea Masala is just ok, it’s not amazing, try to find a locally produced one).
Recipe
- Add the water, cardamon, and ginger to a pot and bring to a boil. The water should turn a yellowish colour after a minute or two.
- Add the milk and tea and bring back to boil. It’ll slowly go dark brown.
- Add sugar and chai masala and stir.
- As the chai starts climbing up the pan, turn down the heat and let simmer. Do this 3 times. Even more colour should be coming out of the tea.
- Strain into your favourite cup and enjoy!
The spice levels are an art, so play with them to get your desired cardamon to ginger to masala flavour. I tend to go hard on the cardamon, normal on the ginger, and less on the masala.
You can substitute buffalo milk for cow milk, but there is a slight change in flavour. It just tastes better with buffalo milk. Use full cream for a rich chai.
Now you can start your roadside chai stall too!