Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   2      cups          water
   2      teaspoons     loose black tea
     1/4  teaspoon      tea masala
   2                    cardamon pods
   2      teaspoons     sugar
     1/2  cup           milk
   1      tablespoon    ginger -- peeled and sliced

Preparation:

Combine the water, tea, masala, cardamon, and 1 tsp of the sugar in a large saucepan and simmer over low heat for 5 min. Add the milk and the rest of the sugar. Add the ginger 1-2 min after that, or when the mixture returns to a simmer. Wait for 15-30 seconds, then strain the tea into 2 cups. Note: tea masala is a prepared spice mixture of ground black pepper, ground cardamon, ground cloves, and ground cinnamon. It is available at most Indian food markets or you can create your own, depending on your taste. Variation: to make Chai I without milk and sugar, combine the water, tea, masala, and cardamon in a large saucepan and simmer over low heat for 5 min. Add the ginger, wait 15-30 seconds, then strain the tea into 2 cups.