Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. Add all the spices except dry ginger powder and rose petals. Toast them for about 30-60 seconds.
Transfer the spices to a plate and let it completely cool down.
Blend the spices to a coarse powder along with dry ginger powder and rose petals.
Store it in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
Masala Chai
Boil water in a saucepan kept over medium heat.
Once the water comes to boil, add tea leaves and sugar. Let the tea leaves steep in the water for about 1-2 minutes.
Add milk to the tea mixture and let it come to a boil.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of chai masala and mix well. Turn off the heat in about 30 seconds. Note: You need only 1/4 teaspoon for 1 cup of tea. Add more or less as desired.
Strain and serve immediately.
Notes
Use your serving cup to measure the water and milk to have the exact amount of tea to serve.
Add a teaspoon of grated or minced ginger to make masala ginger tea.
Variations to try
Vary the recipe by season: During summer, increase the amount of cooling spices such as fennel seeds, and rose petals, whereas, in winter, you can increase the amount of dry ginger powder.
Don't have ground ginger in your pantry? Skip it and instead use freshly minced ginger instead. Grate a 1-inch ginger piece and add it while boiling water.
Herbs: Either you can add fresh mint leaves and holy basil (tulsi) while making tea or add the crushed dried-up version to the masala powder. Some even add lemongrass to their tea - though I haven't tried it.
Love spices? You can experiment by adding mace or star anise. Remember, when it comes to spices, less is more.
Amp up the fragrance - Make your masala tea powder even more aromatic by adding a few strands of saffron.