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How to cook Teh tarik

Teh tarik is a strong, milky black tea sweetened with condensed milk and evaporated milk, then poured back and forth between two vessels from a height until it turns frothy and silky. This home version uses a tea strainer and two mugs or jugs to get the same frothy, creamy cup.

Serves 2Prep 5 minCook 10 minTotal 15 minEasy

Ingredients

For the tea

  • 500 ml water
  • 3 tbsp (about 10 g) loose black tea leaves, such as Ceylon or a dust-grade tea blend sold for teh

For the milk and sweetening

  • 3 tbsp (about 60 g) sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 tbsp (about 45 ml) evaporated milk
  • to taste extra sugar (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 small saucepan
  • 1 fine-mesh tea strainer or muslin tea sock
  • 2 heatproof tall jugs or large mugs

Steps

  1. Warm the vessels1 min
    Rinse both jugs or mugs with hot tap water so they do not cool the tea too quickly. Tip out the water.
  2. Boil the water3 min
    Pour 500 ml water into the saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
  3. Brew the tea4 min
    Add the tea leaves and reduce heat to medium-low. Let it simmer gently for 4 minutes, until the liquid is a deep, dark reddish-brown and smells strongly of tea. Do not let it boil hard or it will turn bitter.
  4. Sweeten the base1 min
    Put the condensed milk and evaporated milk into one jug. Stir briefly to loosen the condensed milk.
  5. Strain the tea1 min
    Pour the hot tea through the fine strainer into the jug with the milks. Stir well until the colour is an even light caramel-brown. Taste and stir in extra sugar only if you want it sweeter.
  6. Pull the tea2 min
    Hold the jug with the tea in one hand and the empty jug in the other. Pour the tea in a steady stream into the empty jug, gradually raising the pouring hand to about 30 to 40 cm above it. Pour back the other way and repeat 6 to 8 times, until the surface is covered in a thick layer of fine foam and the tea looks smooth and silky. Work over a sink or tray in case of spills.
  7. Serve
    Pour the frothy tea into two cups, dividing the foam evenly. Serve immediately while hot.

Tips

  • Brew the tea strong, since the milks will mellow it a lot; it should look almost too dark in the pan.
  • Keep the pour steady and slow at first. Start with a low height and increase it as you gain confidence.
  • Use tall, narrow vessels with a good pouring lip to cut down on splashing.
  • For a less sweet cup, reduce the condensed milk and add evaporated milk instead.
  • Drink it straight away; the froth settles within a few minutes.

Food safety and allergens

Hot tea can scald, so pull it over a sink and keep the pouring hand steady. Refrigerate any leftover milk tea within 2 hours and use within 1 day, reheating until piping hot before drinking.

Contains: dairy

Watch it being made

Videos are made by their YouTube creators and open on YouTube. asklor! is not affiliated with them or with YouTube.

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Recipe written by asklor!'s AI and checked for completeness - not official data and not a chef's recipe. Cooking times vary with your stove and pans; always check food is cooked through. Videos are made by their YouTube creators; asklor! is not affiliated with them or with YouTube.