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    » Home » Recipes » Naturally Sweetened Desserts » Masala Chai Custard

    Masala Chai Custard

    Posted: Oct 20, 2018 · Updated: Oct 29, 2022 by Jenny McGruther · This site earns income from ads, affiliate links, and sponsorships.

    Chai custards sing of sweet spices: ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves.  They're delicately sweet little pots of cream and eggs baked into lovely desserts. 

    The first note that hits your tongue is the sweetness, followed by the milky notes of black tea when finally the soft whisper of spice rolls forward as you finish your bite.  Serve them with a dollop of freshly whipped, unsweetened cream which helps to balance the natural sweetness of the custards.

    Jump to Recipe

    Chai custard with whipped cream and star anise and cardamom

    What is Masala Chai?

    Masala chai is a distinct blend of tea and spices that, when steeped in milk make Ginger, green cardamom, and Assam tea form the distinct flavor and aroma of Masala Chai.  To that fragrant blend, other spices are sometimes added depending on the region and personal preference.  Star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, fennel seeds, and rose petals are often added.

    In Eastern medicine and folkloric traditions, these spices are considered warming spices; that is, they bring fire to the belly and help digestion.  Their vibrant flavors and fire make this custard a perfect wintertime dessert when you want something that's both soothing and nourishing, but warming, too.


    Where to find organic herbs and spices

    You can find many fresh herbs at your local grocery store; however, medicinal herbs can be harder to find locally. We recommend Starwest Botanicals because they stock a wide assortment of organic and ethically wildcrafted culinary and medicinal herbs.

    >> Check it out here
    spices in a small bowl with ginger root

    Making Chai Custards

    Gently steeping the tea and spices in milk and half-and-half infuses them with a delicate flavor, one that is softer and less pronounced than the Chai Tea Lattés you might buy at the local coffee shop.  These custards offer a gentler and milder flavor without the tannic, bitter overtones of tea steeped too long.

    Using whole spices will give these chai custards a beautiful flavor and aroma.  While ground spices provide a more distinct flavor, they also run the risk of curdling your custards, and whole spices act more gently upon the milk and egg mixture that forms the base of a beautiful, and well-executed custard.

    To bake these custards, you'll need to prepare a bain-marie.  A bain-marie is a French technique that allows custards and other delicate foods to cook gently and evenly.  You'll fill a baking dish halfway with hot water from your tap and then set it in the warmth of a slow oven to preheat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

    And when your little cocottes or ramekins are filled, you'll gently place them into the hot water where they'll bake away quietly until they set.  If you forget to prepare your bain-marie and set the custards directly on the rack in your oven, they'll heat too quickly from the outside, and the eggs will curdle and break instead of forming a smooth, creamy custard.

    Rate this Recipe
    5 from 3 votes
    4 to 6 servings

    Masala Chai Custard

    Infused with ginger, cardamom, star anise and black tea, this Masala Chai Custard offers a delicate flavor and utterly creamy texture. It will make 4 (6-ounce) or 6 (4-ounce) custards.
    .
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time50 mins
    Total Time1 hr
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    Ingredients

    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 1 cup half-and-half
    • 2 tablespoons Assam tea
    • 1 tablespoon green cardamom pods
    • 2 teaspoons powdered ginger
    • 1 ceylon cinnamon stick
    • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
    • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
    • 3 star anise pods
    • 4 eggs
    • ⅓ cup jaggery

    Instructions

    • Pour the milk and half-and-half into a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat until it begins to steam and tiny bubbles appear at the sides of the pan, about 180 F. Turn down the heat to medium-low, and stir in the tea and spices. Allow the tea and spices to steep in the hot milk for 20 minutes.
    • Heat the oven to 325 F, and fill a baking dish half-way with hot water. Place the baking dish in the oven.
    • Break the eggs into a medium-sized mixing bowl, and add the jaggery. Whisk them together until the eggs look light and fluffy.
    • Strain the spiced-infused milk through a fine-mesh sieve and into a pitcher or mixing bowl with a spout.
    • Pour the milk into the egg and sugar mixture a little bit at a time, while whisking thoroughly, until you've added all the milk. Strain the mixture once more through a fine-mesh sieve, and pour it into ramekins.
    • Place the filled ramekins into the baking dish in the oven, and bake the custards about 30 minutes, or until their centers wobble ever so gently when you jostle them.
    • Allow the custards to cool to room temperature, and then top with whipped cream. Alternatively, you can store the custards in the fridge up to one day before serving.
    Rate this recipe!If you loved this recipe, give it a rating. Let us know what works, what didn't and whether you made any adjustments that can help other cooks.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessica says

      November 09, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      This looks amazing.

      Reply
    2. laurel says

      October 13, 2015 at 7:27 pm

      How do you get molassas to not curdle the milk from its acids? In say butterscotch you mix it with the butter first and then add cream but milk is even more temperamental...

      Reply
    3. Sophia says

      August 02, 2014 at 8:53 am

      Can't get rose petals where I am. Figured out why that milk needed to come off the stove ASAP after reaching boiling point.. didn't look good after unintentionally leaving it on the boil for a couple of minutes longer.

      Yum 🙂

      Reply
    4. cas says

      February 27, 2013 at 3:31 am

      yep, mine curdled too 🙁

      Reply
    5. Lizzy K says

      January 27, 2013 at 7:38 pm

      I saw this recipe and knew I needed to make it! I made it this morning for breakfast using farm fresh eggs and fresh jersey milk from our cow. I had read others trouble with the separated milk so I put the spices in he milk the night before and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. This morning I heated the milk to a simmer and added in the molasses and sugar and baked it in a 9-13'' pan. It turned out so great! Better than I expected! Our whole family loved it! It was a great way to use our gallon jug of blackstrap! Thank you for this recipe!

      Reply
    6. Crystalline Ruby Muse says

      January 15, 2013 at 3:24 am

      Where do you get your rose petals?

      Reply
    7. Mary says

      December 02, 2012 at 6:24 pm

      This recipe sounded perfect for our Dec 1 family holiday gathering, which ended with a dessert tasting. The mixture of organic blackstrap molasses, raw jersey milk and spices curdled by the time the 20 minute infusion was up. I was unable to rescue it by fine sieving, and after reading that Gavin had a similar problem, we fortunately had enough milk to try again. We suspected the acidity in the molasses so infused in milk only and beat the molasses into the eggs before adding the milk. This resolved the curdling but the intensity of the infusion was greatly reduced. Next time I'll infuse the spices in the molasses with the same amount of whey. Gavin's idea of turning it into a pudding with half the number of eggs would work for me as well.
      Having tasted both infusions, my chai loving daughter and I missed the intensity in the final product, but the newbies to chai thought it rather exotic, and cleaned up their Crème brûlée instead. We'll keep the chai custard for our own little treat!

      Reply
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