flipMasala chiya — spiced milk tea
Masala chiya — spiced milk tea
Why this dish? Chiya marked the rhythm of royal days: it was offered to visitors, dignitaries, ambassadors received at Narayanhiti. Birendra, who studied at Eton and Harvard, knew British tea — but in Kathmandu, it was spiced milk tea, sweet and comforting, that sealed Nepali hospitality.
Black tea simmered with milk, sugar, and warm spices — cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves. The welcoming morning drink, fragrant and comforting.
Are you receiving a guest? Then first offer them a chiya, that is the first word of Nepali hospitality. We simmer the tea in sweetened milk, throw in cardamom and ginger, sometimes a cinnamon stick, and let it steep until the whole kitchen is fragrant. I drank clear tea at English colleges, but it is this tea, thick and perfumed, that always brought me back to Kathmandu. Drink it piping hot, in small sips.
- •Black tea leaves — one measure (base)
- •Fresh milk — equal parts with water (creaminess)
- •Green cardamom — a few pods (aroma)
- •Fresh ginger — a piece (warmth)
- •Cinnamon and cloves — to taste (warm spices)
- •Sugar or cane sugar (gur) — to taste (sweetness)
Masala chiya — spiced milk tea
Black tea simmered with milk, sugar, and warm spices — cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves. The welcoming morning drink, fragrant and comforting.
Why this dish? Chiya marked the rhythm of royal days: it was offered to visitors, dignitaries, ambassadors received at Narayanhiti. Birendra, who studied at Eton and Harvard, knew British tea — but in Kathmandu, it was spiced milk tea, sweet and comforting, that sealed Nepali hospitality.
Are you receiving a guest? Then first offer them a chiya, that is the first word of Nepali hospitality. We simmer the tea in sweetened milk, throw in cardamom and ginger, sometimes a cinnamon stick, and let it steep until the whole kitchen is fragrant. I drank clear tea at English colleges, but it is this tea, thick and perfumed, that always brought me back to Kathmandu. Drink it piping hot, in small sips.
Ingredients (period version)
- Black tea leaves — one measure (base)
- Fresh milk — equal parts with water (creaminess)
- Green cardamom — a few pods (aroma)
- Fresh ginger — a piece (warmth)
- Cinnamon and cloves — to taste (warm spices)
- Sugar or cane sugar (gur) — to taste (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Loose black tea (Assam or Nepali tea) — 2 teaspoons (base)
- Water — 250 ml (infusion)
- Whole milk — 250 ml (creaminess)
- Green cardamom — 4 pods, crushed (aroma)
- Fresh ginger — 1 piece, grated (warmth)
- Cinnamon + cloves — 1/2 stick + 2 cloves (warm spices)
- Sugar — 2 to 3 teaspoons (sweetness)
Method
- Bring water to a boil with ginger, crushed cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves; let infuse for 2 minutes.
- Add the black tea and let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour in the milk and sugar, then gently bring to just below a boil (watch for overflow).
- Let it simmer for a few minutes to concentrate flavors.
- Strain and serve very hot in small glasses or cups.
How it was made : Spiced milk tea is prepared in a single pot where everything simmers together — a method inherited from South Asian tea culture. In Nepal, it was often sweetened with gur (unrefined cane sugar), and wealthy families added cardamom and cloves, precious spices from Himalayan trade.
The contemporary twist : Pour the chiya from a height in a thin stream between two vessels, like street vendors: the resulting frothy top is the perfect theatrical touch.
Birendra · Charactorium
