Thai iced tea: a delightful and simple homemade beverage

Originating in Thailand, Thai iced tea, known as cha yen in Thai, traditionally consists of strong black tea, milk, and sugar. However, Thai chefs who migrated to Western countries decided to adapt the recipe to cater to different palates. They introduced orange food coloring and increased the amount of sugar, aiming to mimic popular coffee drinks found in the West. This modified version of Thai tea is what we commonly see today. SSP prepared the recipe.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 6 minutes

Chill time: 30 minutes

Total time: 46 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Yield: 3 3/4 cups of brewed tea (before adding milk)

Ingredients:

For brewing the tea:

– 4 tablespoons of loose-leaf Ceylon tea

– 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

– 1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom

– 1 whole star anise pod

 –1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped

– 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric

 –1 tablespoon of sugar

For serving:

– 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk

– 3 tablespoons of whole milk

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with the tea leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, vanilla bean and seeds, turmeric, and sugar.

2. Place the saucepan on the stove and stir to combine. Set the heat to medium-high, and cover the pan. You can use a glass lid or carefully peek under the lid to check when the tea starts boiling. Once you see rapid bubbles forming on the edges, turn off the heat.

3. Allow the tea to steep with the lid on for 3 minutes. If you prefer a stronger tea, you can extend the brewing time to a total of 5 minutes.

Straining and cooling the tea:

1. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Using a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter, strain the tea into a heat-proof pitcher or quart mason jar. Ensure that there are no small pieces of spices remaining in the strained tea.

2. Leave the tea at room temperature until it cools down, and then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill.

Preparing the milk mixture:

1. In a small bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and whole milk. Stir until well combined.

Serving:

1. Once the brewed tea is cooled, fill a glass with an abundance of ice.

2. Pour the chilled tea over the ice, leaving some space at the top of the glass.

3. Finish by adding the milk mixture to taste, and gently pouring it over the tea.

4. Give it a little stir and savor the delightful blend of flavors and textures.