The Best Bubble Tea Recipe Hong Kong Style Boba Milk Tea Recipe

I'm Mandy. Welcome to Souped Up Recipes. Today we're making Hong Kong style bubble milk tea, which only involves six ingredients. Super simple but tricky at the same time if you want to make it perfect. I will walk you through all the little details, show you the traditional techniques, and ensure you can make the best boba tea right at home. Let's start by brewing the tea because it is the soul of the drink. Thoroughly combine 20 grams of Ceylon black tea and 20 grams of Lipton yellow label black tea blend. Ceylon tea offers bold flavor and rich aroma forming the backbone of the drink, while Lipton provides consistency and a mellow balance. Although neither tea originates from Hong Kong due to British colonial influence, their combination has come to define the city's iconic milk tea. Add the tea leaves into this sock-looking filter tube. Bring one liter of water to a boil, but don't pour it directly over the tea because the temperature is too hot. Instead, transfer it to another container, then pour it onto the tea through the sock filter. This extra step is called chong cha, which naturally cools the water from 100 degrees Celsius to around 85 to 90 degrees Celsius, the ideal temperature for steeping black tea to avoid bitterness. Leave the tea in the pot and heat it over the lowest heat for 8 minutes. This is called ju cha. Please monitor the heat and keep the water just below the boiling point. If it bubbles, the tea can also turn bitter. No thermometer needed, just make sure the water stays calm. After 8 minutes, pour the tea from a high position through the stocking filter into the measuring cup and repeat it back and forth 4 times. This process is called la cha, which translates as cooling the tea. It helps the water and the leaves fully interact while also aerating the tea so it becomes velvety, similar to how aerating wine improves its mouthfeel and aroma. Once done, place the pot back onto the stove over the lowest heat and continue to ju cha for 8 more minutes. 8 minutes later, we're gonna repeat the la cha process again by pouring the back and forth 4 more times. We used 1 liter of water after simmering and plus you probably spilled some here and there, so you will end up with about 3 cups of liquid left. Place the pot back onto the stove over the lowest heat, continue to steep for the final 5 minutes. Add 1 can of evaporated milk into the measuring cup or a pitcher, then pour in the tea from a high position. This process is called zhuang cha, translates as tea collision. Stir in a third cup of sugar or to taste and you just made a perfect silk stocking milk tea, or what we call si wa nai cha. Yes, it is named after the stock looking filter too. You can enjoy it as is. That is so good. However, today's demo is making brown sugar boba tea, which uses this silk stocking milk tea as a base. So let's put the rest of the tea in the fridge for now and I'm going to show you how to make the brown sugar bubbles. You can find these pearls at most Asian markets or check this video to learn how to make them from scratch. Bring 1.5 liters of water to a boil, add the tapioca pearls and wait until they float. Partially put on the lid, then start timing and boil over medium heat for 4 minutes. Once done, pour the pearls into a sieve and rinse under cold water to remove excess starch. Then return the pearls to the pot along with a third cup of water and half cup of brown sugar. Yes, that's right. Boba tea is meant to be sweet. In case you want to decrease the amount of sugar in this recipe, please adjust the previous a third cup of sugar. Don't change the brown sugar measurement because you need it to make the syrup. Stir over low heat for three to five more minutes or until the consistency becomes thick and stringy. If you see these shreds falling from the wall of the pot, it's done. Tapioca bubbles can be enjoyed right after they are done cooking even if they're still warm. Do not refrigerate them as their texture will change. To assemble the boba tea, add the tapioca bubbles into a cup. Make sure you let the pearls touch the wall of the glass. This will create a beautiful marbling presentation. Pour the milk tea, and you can enjoy it with a thick straw. I love boba tea, and this is so smooth, silky, and fragrant. Better than any tea shop I can find around. I hope you give this a try soon. As always, the printable recipe link is in the description. Go check it out. Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more easy and authentic Chinese recipes. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you next time. Bye!