Cardamom Chai or Elaichi Chai is a refreshing Indian tea made with black tea, milk, freshly crushed cardamom and sugar. It uses only cardamom to delicately fragrance the creamy tea.
I love Indian tea in all its wondrous varieties. Karak chai , masala chai , Indian ginger tea (adrak chai) and this cardamom tea recipe all have their moments of glory in our household.
Cardamom Chai is a rich drink and is flavoured only with cardamom. I love this tea because you get the full effect of the cardamom without any interference of other spices.
Where to use Cardamom Chai
Cardamom Chai is so versatile and goes great in other recipes.
We love using Cardamom Chai in our Chai Peda
Or why not treat yourself to Cardamom Chai Kulfi in the Summer?
We want very thick and creamy cardamom chai for these recipes so make sure you use whole milk to make the tea with very little water!
Ingredients for Cardamom Chai Tea
Cardamom – use fresh green cardamom pods for the best flavour. Ground cardamom or cardamom seeds will not give the same great taste
Black Tea – we have used loose leaf tea but you can also use black tea bags
Milk – use milk with a higher fat percentage such as whole milk for the creamiest tea. For a non dairy version, oat milk is super creamy.
Sugar – we have used white granulated sugar but you can use brown sugar.
How to make Indian Cardamom Tea
Serving Suggestions
Cardamom chai is wonderful on its own but a sweet treat alongside takes it to another level! The perfect pairing is definitely nankhatai or cashew amaranth cookies .
For an Indian afternoon tea, serve with pistachio cupcakes with saffron frosting or saffron milk cookie sticks .
Chai also goes great with savoury Indian parathas. For breakfast or brunch pair cardamom chai with gujarati bhakhri or kathiyawadi methi thepla .
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Cardamom Chai (Elaichi Chai)
Equipment
- Milk pan
- Pestle and mortar
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cardamom whole see note
- 2 teaspoon loose tea black
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1-2 teaspoon sugar see note
Instructions
- First crush 1 tablespoon cardamom whole using pestle and mortar.
- Add crushed cardamom to a milk pan.
- Add 2 teaspoon loose tea black .
- Add 1/4 cup water
- Allow the water to boil and let the water reduce a little.
- Add 1 cup whole milk
- Then add 1-2 teaspoon sugar
- Allow milk to boil and tea to cook for approximately 5 mins and strain using a fine strainer into the serving cups.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in October 2020.
Cardamom Chai (Elaichi Chai)
Equipment
- Milk pan
- Pestle and mortar
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cardamom whole see note
- 2 teaspoon loose tea black
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1-2 teaspoon sugar see note
Instructions
- First crush 1 tablespoon cardamom whole using pestle and mortar.
- Add crushed cardamom to a milk pan.
- Add 2 teaspoon loose tea black .
- Add 1/4 cup water
- Allow the water to boil and let the water reduce a little.
- Add 1 cup whole milk
- Then add 1-2 teaspoon sugar
- Allow milk to boil and tea to cook for approximately 5 mins and strain using a fine strainer into the serving cups.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
This Mixed Dal or Mix Dal Fry is a delicious Indian recipe prepared with a mix of lentils, onion, garlic, tomato and spices. The tadka give this dish a delicious dhaba style dal flavour.
The humble Indian mixed dal is a wonderful dish filled with flavours, textures, and aromas.
This recipe brings together a variety of lentils, each contributing its unique taste and nutritional goodness, to create a wholesome and comforting meal. The dal is cooked with aromatic spices, onions, tomatoes, this versatile dish is a staple in Indian households.
Whether served with steamed rice, roti, or a dollop of tangy pickle, mixed dal is a bowl of nourishment.
If you love dal recipes, don’t miss other delicious options on the blog like Dhaba Dal Fry , Mug Ni Chutti Dal , and Whole Masoor Dal .
Ingredients notes
Be sure to check out the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Split chickpea dal – Chana dal
Split red lentils – Masoor dal
Yellow Moong Dal – Mung Ki Dal
Onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies
Tomatoes
Spice powders: turmeric powder, red chili powder, hing.
Cumin seeds and dried red chillies
Oil
Coriander leaves
Lemon wedges
Optional
Garam masala powder and coriander powder.
Tips
- Add ghee to make an extra rich tadka and creamy dal.
- Add kasoori methi for restaurant style flavours.
- Use lemon juice instead of dry mango powder
- you can add black urad dal or tuvar dal.
- For speed, I use the instant pot to boil the dal to reduce cooking time. You can use any electric pressure cooker or stove top pressure cooker. Alternatively, cook the dal in a pan on the stove.
Serving Suggestion
Mixed Daal is best served with basmati rice , jeera rice or ghee rice .
For a complete meal, serve with an Indian vegetable curry and whole wheat chapati or plain paratha .
Storage
Mixed dal is a fantastic make ahead recipe. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Mixed daal is also freezable for up to 3 months.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Mixed Dal Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot or Pressure cooker/Instant Pot
- 1 small pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup chana dal split chickpea dal
- ½ cup masoor dal split red lentils
- ½ cup yellow moong dal
- ½ cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon green chillies crushed
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or dry mango powder
Tempering (Tadka)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon hing
- 1 red dry chilli
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
Garnish
- 3 tablespoon coriander leaves
Instructions
- Thoroughly clean and wash all three lentils and soak for half an hour in water.
- Discard the water and add new water, about 2 cups and add tomato, garlic, ginger, green chillies turmeric, oil and salt.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Transfer to a stoveto pressure cooker, and close the lid. Cook dal on medium heat until 3 whistles in Indian style pressure cooker.
Pan/Pot
- If you do not have a pressure cooker, cook lentils in a pan/pot. On stove, medium heat cook 40-45 minutes or till dal is completely tender. You may need extra water to cook mixed lentils.
Instant Pot
- Cook lentils for 7 minutes on high pressure.
Tadka (Temper the spices)
- Give cooked dal a good mix using ladle or whisked baloon. If the dal is very thick, add some warm water to bring it at right consistancy.
- Heat a small pan or kadai then add oil. Add cumin seeds and hing in hot oil.
- Allow cumins crackle, then add dry red chillies, chopped onion and garlic.
- Saute onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes or till little pink, add red chilli powder.
- Add tadka into boiled/cooked dal.
- Turn the heat back on and simmer the dal for 2-3 minutes again on medium- high heat.
- Mix lemon juice, garnish with coriander and serve hot.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First published in May 2015.
