Stovetop Masala Chai

Steps

1. Bring the water, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns to a

   boil (how to boil)

   Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   in a small saucepan.
   ⏱ Boil water: 3 min
2. Lower the heat and

   simmer (how to simmer)

   Simmer Cook liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. 1. Bring the liquid up over medium-high heat.2. As soon as bubbles rise steadily, turn the heat down.3. Adjust until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two.4. Stir now and then and check that it hasn't crept back to a boil. Done when: You see lazy, small bubbles, not a rolling boil. A "bare" simmer has just a bubble here and there. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to simmer: mistakes to avoid

   so the spices color and flavor the water.
   ⏱ Simmer spices: 5 min
3. Add the tea and simmer until the liquid turns deep brown.
   ⏱ Steep tea: 2 min
4. Pour in the milk and sugar and heat until the chai rises up the pan, then lower the heat before it boils over.
   ⏱ Heat milk: 2 min
5. Strain (how to strain)

   Strain Pour food through a strainer to separate the liquid from the solids, or to make a sauce smooth. 1. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl or pot large enough to hold all the liquid.2. Pour slowly, so it doesn't overflow.3. Press the solids with the back of a ladle to get all the liquid out (unless the recipe wants a clear result).4. Throw away the solids or keep them, as the recipe says. Done when: The liquid is smooth with no bits; for clear broth, no cloudiness from pressing. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first. Ladle very full pots into the strainer rather than lifting them.How to strain sauces and stocks: mistakes to avoid

   into mugs and serve hot.

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

• Crush the cardamom pods with the flat of a knife so the seeds can flavor the tea.
• Any milk works; oat milk makes a dairy-free chai.

Storage

Best fresh. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days and reheat gently.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.