Hong Kong Milk Tea Recipe

If Hong Kong had a nationwide drink, it will doubtless be milk tea, a wealthy, creamy beverage of sturdy black tea and evaporated milk. The beverage is so iconic that it has been immortalized on magnets, t-shirts, and different souvenirs, and is served in-flight on Cathay Pacific, the house service many Hongkongers see as a part of the town’s identification. At many cafés, milk tea comes with its personal designated cup, too: a red-and-white teacup with a cow on it, meant to appear to be Black & White canned evaporated milk, the Dutch model historically used to arrange the drink. For these with roots in Hong Kong however stay overseas—together with me—milk tea is a comforting, nostalgic beverage that tastes like residence.

Although Hong Kong milk tea can simply be discovered all throughout the town, it is often loved in cha chaan tengs—”tea cafés” or Hong Kong-style diners—alongside different native specialties, comparable to French toast, tender pineapple buns, and spam and egg sandwiches. These choices could not sound historically Chinese language, however they belong to a key style of Hong Kong delicacies referred to as “soy sauce Western,” the place dishes aren’t fairly British or Chinese language, however fall someplace in between. 

A Temporary Historical past of Hong Kong Milk Tea

Hong Kong milk tea rose to prominence within the Nineteen Forties and Nineteen Fifties, when the town was nonetheless a British colony. Craving for a style of the tea and milk the Brits usually drank, which was solely accessible in costly resorts and eating places, locals got here up with their very own model. As a substitute of utilizing contemporary milk—a shortage and a luxurious ingredient on the time—Hong Kongers turned to canned evaporated milk, an reasonably priced choice that provides milk tea its signature silky-smooth mouthfeel.

Historically, the tea is “pulled” from one mesh strainer to a different: It is poured backwards and forwards to create a daring, concentrated brew and assist aerate the tea, then strained into giant pitchers. Some locations pull the tea with the evaporated milk, whereas others stir within the evaporated milk proper earlier than serving. Some name the drink “silk stocking tea” or “pantyhose tea,” referring to the resemblance the strainer has to the ladies’s garment.  

Although some locations go for a pleasant oolong tea, most institutions use Lipton black tea, a flexible, budget-friendly mix of Assam and Ceylon. As for the evaporated milk, many locals are proudly and deeply dedicated to the Black & White model, which they consider produces the smoothest milk tea. It is attainable to search out the tea sweetened, however many of the milk tea I’ve had comes unsweetened, with most institutions leaving it as much as the diner to determine how a lot sugar they’d like so as to add. 

Recreating Hong Kong Milk Tea at House

Because the drink is so ubiquitous in Hong Kong, most individuals do not hassle making it themselves. And in the event you stay outdoors Hong Kong in a metropolis with a major Cantonese inhabitants, comparable to San Francisco, Vancouver, or Toronto, there’s doubtless a café close to you that serves it. As a result of I stay within the suburbs of New York, the place there are not any good cha chaan tengs—not to mention Chinese language eating places—inside a 20-mile radius, the one means I can get a cup of strong milk tea is that if I make it myself. Fortunately for me, the drink takes lower than 10 minutes to make and requires simply three components: black tea luggage, evaporated milk, and sugar. (And, sure, water for brewing the tea.)

Simmer Your Tea

The important thing to an awesome cup of Hong Kong milk tea is to ensure it is sturdy: It must be daring and bitter sufficient to make you pucker barely in the event you strive it with out the evaporated milk and sugar. For a daily, non-Hong Kong-style cup of tea, you’d most likely use one tea bag for each cup of water. For a very strong cup of tea, I simmer 5 black tea luggage in three cups of water, which produces a concentrated brew that tastes similar to one you’d discover in a cha chaan teng and is caffeinated sufficient to maintain you buzzed for hours.

Sure, you might go the normal route by pulling the tea backwards and forwards with cloth-mesh strainers for an extra-smooth and aerated brew, however at residence, I’ve discovered simmering to be the simplest and most constant methodology for getting the tea’s power and texture excellent.

Evaporated Milk Is Important

A few of you’ll ask if half-and-half, heavy cream, or dairy-free choices will work right here. Positive, you might use it—however your tea will not style like true Hong Kong milk tea. Canned evaporated milk is milk that is had about 60% of its water eliminated, leading to a wealthy, creamy dairy product that provides milk tea its silky-smooth mouthfeel whereas rounding out the tea’s bitter tannins. My recipe requires simply 1/4 cup of evaporated milk, however if you would like it a contact richer, be at liberty so as to add extra to style. 

Sweeten to Style

Some recipes name for sweetening the tea with condensed milk, however I discover it simpler to make use of granulated sugar. Just a little condensed milk goes a great distance, and even an additional teaspoon can shortly take your tea from pleasantly candy to cloying. Condensed milk additionally alters the dairy-to-tea ratio of your beverage, leading to a much less potent brew.