Chef notes
Thai tea is very similar to Indian chai tea. The base is black tea with spices like vanilla, cloves and cardamom added in. It's supposed to be super sweet and is served over a ton of ice, but by making it at home you can control the amount of sweetness. You can find packaged Thai tea mix on the Internet, which is so much easier than making it on your own.
Special equipment: Cheesecloth.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup packaged Thai tea mix
- 1 cup sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons half-and-half
Preparation
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the Thai tea mix. Simmer it over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Stir in the sugar, to taste. Strain the tea through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Chill it down in the fridge for a few hours (you can hold it up to two weeks).
When ready to serve, fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the tea over ice leaving about 1/2-inch of room at the top. Top with half-and-half and insert straw. Make sure the drinker uses that straw to mix the half and half thoroughly.
Reprinted with permission from 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila.
