Teh Tarik: Pulled, Frothy Malaysian Milk Tea
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Strong boiled black tea enriched with evaporated and condensed milk, then poured back and forth between jugs until thick, frothy and just cool enough to drink.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Brew. Bring the water to the boil, add the tea in its filter and boil for 2-3 minutes, until deep amber. Boiling, rather than steeping, gives the strong brew the milk needs.
- 2
Enrich. Stir in the evaporated milk and 1 tbsp of the condensed milk and let it bubble gently for 2 minutes. Lift out the tea leaves.
- 3
Sweeten. Put the remaining 2 tbsp condensed milk into one jug and pour in all the hot tea.
- 4
Pull. Working over the sink, pour one jug's tea into the other from about 15 cm, then pour it back. Repeat 4-6 times, raising the top jug a little each time once you feel confident. The long pour cools the tea slightly and whips it into a thick froth.
- 5
Serve. Pour into the mugs with a head of foam on top. Taste and stir in a little more condensed milk if you like it sweeter.
Storage
Best served immediately, while the froth is high. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 4 g protein per 100 kcal, about 16% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low salt: 0.15 g salt per 100 ml (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 ml of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 253 ml a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Caffeine · Free sugars
- Per serving: at least 48 mg caffeine (serving: 1 glass (about 238 ml tea)). Source: about 238 ml brewed per serving × USDA FDC SR Legacy #173227 (brewed black tea, 20 mg/100 g) This brew uses more tea per ml than standard brewed tea, so the real amount is likely higher..
- Scaling: making more servings does not change the caffeine in each serving; what counts is how many servings you drink in a day. 1 serving: 48 mg · 2 servings: 96 mg · 3 servings: 144 mg · 4 servings: 192 mg.
- General guideline: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015): for healthy adults, up to 200 mg in a single dose and up to 400 mg per day do not raise safety concerns. 1 serving = 12 % of 400 mg. EFSA
15.5 g per serving
31 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 62 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- medium saucepan with a pouring lip
- tea ball or tea filter bag
- 2 heatproof jugs or a second pan
- 2 heatproof glass mugs
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 234 kcal |
| Protein | 9.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 26.6 g |
| of which sugars | 15.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 15.5 g |
| Fat | 10.4 g |
| of which saturates | 6.4 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Salt | 0.38 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
