If you are anything like me and my family, you are always finding small ways to bridge British and south Asian food traditions. It might be adding chilli to almost everything or instinctively doubling the garlic in a recipe. We do this easily with savoury dishes – spicy roast chicken is a household favourite – but desserts often feel a little more fixed. So what does it look like to give a classic British pudding a desi twist?
During the colder months, I often turn to apple crumble. It is simple, comforting, and requires very little effort – exactly the kind of dessert you want on a winter evening. The cinnamon brings warmth, but I could not help wondering what would happen if the spice element were taken further.
The idea came from a masala chai hot chocolate recipe by Seema Pankhania. It got me thinking about how chai, something so familiar in many south Asian homes, could be infused into other dishes. After a bit of experimenting, masala chai apple crumble was born.
Crumble is the perfect canvas for this. It is adaptable and ideal for using up leftover fruit. Apples work beautifully, but berries, pears, or plums are just as good. The chai spices add depth and warmth without overpowering the dish, turning a familiar dessert into something that feels both nostalgic and new.
The full recipe is below, and there is also a step-by-step video on my Instagram page. I used Seema’s masala hot chocolate recipe to build the chai flavour base, but if you are short on time, a chai teabag works just as well for a quicker version.
For me, this is what hybrid cooking looks like: taking the dishes we grew up with – British or south Asian – and allowing them to evolve together.
Ingredients
Masala chai (or use a flavoured teabag):
4 cm piece of ginger
5 cardamom pods
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
Filling:
1 kg fruit, chopped (to avoid food waste, do not peel the skins)
100 g brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Crumble topping:
120 g rolled oats
60 g plain flour
115 g butter, softened
Method
1. Grind the masala chai ingredients using a pestle and mortar. Place the mixture into a muslin cloth bag and tie securely.
2. Add the filling ingredients to a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat for three to four minutes.
3. Add the masala chai muslin bag (or teabag) and a splash of water to help release the flavours.
4. Reduce to a low heat and simmer for ten minutes, until the fruit is soft and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the muslin bag.
5. In a bowl, mix the crumble topping ingredients, using your hands to form a coarse crumble texture.
6. Tip the filling into an oven dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit. For extra crunch, a little brown sugar mixed with cinnamon can be scattered on top.
7. Bake at 170°C for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
