Chinese
Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea
Knead tapioca starch into boiling brown sugar water to make pearls, cook them and soak them in brown sugar syrup, then layer them in tall glasses with ice, cold milk and strong black tea; about 1 hour 15 minutes for 2.
Brown sugar boba milk tea is the Taiwanese drink that took over Malaysian malls: chewy tapioca pearls simmered in a thick dark brown sugar syrup, spooned into a tall glass so the syrup streaks down the sides, then topped with ice, cold milk and strong black tea. Homemade pearls take about an hour and taste far better than dried ones. The key is to add the tapioca starch to boiling sugar water, or the dough will not come together.
- Serves 2
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 40 min
- Total: 1 hr 15 min
- Cuisine: Taiwanese
Ingredients
Brown sugar pearls
- 40 g dark brown sugar
- 60 ml water
- 100 g tapioca starch, plus extra for dusting
Brown sugar syrup
- 80 g dark brown sugar
- 60 ml water
Tea
- 3 tbsp loose black tea leaves, or 4 black tea bags
- 300 ml water, just off the boil
To serve
- 300 ml cold fresh milk
- Ice cubes, to fill the glasses
Method
- Bring the 40 g brown sugar and 60 ml water to a rolling boil in a small pot. Turn the heat to low, tip in half the tapioca starch and stir hard into a sticky paste. Take the pot off the heat, add the rest of the starch and stir, then turn it out onto a starch-dusted bench and knead for 3 minutes, once cool enough to handle, into a smooth dough.
- Roll the dough into ropes 1 cm (1/2 in) thick, cut them into 1 cm (1/2 in) pieces and roll each into a ball. Toss the pearls in a little starch so they do not stick.
- Bring 1.5 L water to the boil, add the pearls and stir so they do not stick to the bottom. Cook at a steady simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, then turn off the heat, cover and leave for 10 minutes until there is no white centre.
- Meanwhile, simmer the 80 g brown sugar with 60 ml water for 4 minutes until slightly thick. Drain the pearls, rinse them briefly in warm water and stir them into the syrup. Simmer for 2 minutes more.
- Steep the tea in the hot water for 5 minutes, strain it and leave it to cool.
- Spoon half the pearls and syrup into each tall glass and tilt the glass to streak the syrup up the sides. Fill with ice, pour in 150 ml milk and 120 ml tea per glass, and serve with wide straws.
Tips
- Brown sugar fresh milk: leave out the tea and use 250 ml milk per glass for the caffeine-free version.
- Make ahead: shape the raw pearls, freeze them on a tray and bag them for up to 1 month. Cook them from frozen, adding 5 minutes to the simmering time.
- Soft pearls: cooked pearls harden in the refrigerator. Keep them in the warm syrup and serve within 4 hours.
- Ready-made pearls: dried tapioca pearls also work. Cook them as the packet says, then soak them in the syrup as in step 4.
Questions
Why does my tapioca dough crumble?
The sugar water was not boiling when the starch went in. Add the first half of the starch to the boiling liquid, stir hard into a paste, then knead in the rest.
Can I make boba pearls ahead?
Yes. Freeze the shaped raw pearls on a tray and bag them for up to 1 month. Cook them from frozen, adding 5 minutes to the simmering time.
Why did my pearls turn hard?
Cooked tapioca pearls harden when chilled. Keep them in warm syrup at room temperature and serve within 4 hours.
Can I make it without tea?
Yes. Leave out the tea and use 250 ml cold milk per glass for brown sugar fresh milk, which has no caffeine.
Is this brown sugar boba milk tea halal?
The recipe is pork-free and lists no alcohol. It is not halal-certified: if you use ready-made pearls or syrup, check that they carry halal certification.
A Dada Cooking original recipe. Quantities are metric first, with US amounts in brackets.