Recipe
Masala chai with cardamom
- Herb:
- Green cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
- Method:
- Culinary use
- Plant part:
- Fruit
About 15 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Crush 4–5 cardamom pods together with a piece of fresh ginger, 2 cloves and a piece of cinnamon.
- Drop the spices into 250 ml of water and boil for 3 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons of black tea and 250 ml of milk, bring to the boil and cook 2 minutes until the colour deepens.
- Strain through a sieve, sweeten to taste and serve at once.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 4–5 cardamom pods for 2 cups of tea
- Solvent:
- water and milk 1:1; boil the spices briefly with black tea
- Shelf life:
- drink warm
- Target compounds:
- essential oil containing 1,8-cineole and alpha-terpinyl acetate is released by crushing the capsules and boiling briefly
Notes
A kitchen recipe from northern India. Cardamom is a spice, not a medicine; EMA HMPC lists traditional use of the fruit for mild digestive complaints, which concerns a tea of cardamom alone, not sweet masala chai.
Why it works
Crushing the pods releases the seed oil, dominated by 1,8-cineole and alpha-terpinyl acetate; a short boil carries it into the drink, a longer one would drive the aroma off. The review by Ashokkumar et al. 2020 summarises antispasmodic and antimicrobial effects of the oil mostly from the laboratory; in humans mainly the traditional use for bloating is documented (EMA HMPC).
Literature
- Ashokkumar K, Murugan M, Dhanya MK, Warkentin TD (2020): Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of cardamom [Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton] – A critical review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 246:112244 — Critical review of botany, traditional uses and essential oil composition.
Related
Green cardamom — Herb card
Culinary use — Processing method detail