Thai Tea Two Ways | Eating Ice Cream in the Dark

Thai tea is an odd concoction? bright, rusty orange, milky and sweet.?? During my time in Thailand? I didn?t drink much Thai tea (or eat much Pad Thai).? The dishes that I remember well, that in my last week in Bangkok I realized I would miss so much I made a misty-eyed goodbye to, were a simple omelette stuffed with pork fried rice, and a pork stew of sorts in a brown gravy with greens.? They were called collards in English, but which I have decided must have been choy sum.? I mostly drank Sang Som, a cheap Thai rum, which Thais called whiskey regardless, and Beer Leo.? They also had a lime soda I loved.? Not lemon-lime.? Simply lime.? The coffee, frankly was crap, as far as I could tell.? My short time spent in Vietnam and Laos was when I drank cups of coffee everyday, sweetened with condensed milk, a habit I retain to this day.

Trawling Asian markets in Philadelphia is another habit of mine.? The items they carry are endlessly fascinating.? On one of my recent trips I saw a canned version of Thai tea, and with a twinge of nostalgia, tossed it in my basket.? It was cloyingly sweet and chemically?still not to my taste.

I decided, however, to go all food geek and attempt to concoct a Thai tea of my own, using high-quality loose tea and whole spices.? It turned out well, so I decided to share it with you.

I also found a recipe for Thai tea with lime.? If you cannot get past the milky sweetness of the more popular version of Thai tea, give that version a try.? Neither of these recipes are especially authentic as far as I know.? They are an amalgam of different recipes I pulled from the web.? I think the authentic thing would be to use a pre-made powder or mix.? But that?s not fun in a mildly obsessive sort of way.

Mise en Place

Equipment

• large pot, at least a gallon in capacity
• tea sock, or a clean kitchen towel, you don?t mind staining, and kitchen twine
• gallon pitcher
• wooden spoon

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Assam long-leaf tea, or other loose, strong black tea
• 1/3 cup rooibos tea
• 3 star anise
• 1 inch piece of vanilla bean, split
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 2 inch segment cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• tsp salt
• ice

?for a sweet, milky tea

• sweetened condensed milk
• evaporated milk

?for a citrusy, floral tea

• mint sprigs
• jasmine essence
• lime

1)? Steep the tea.? Bring a gallon of water to a boil.? Place the star anise, vanilla bean, cardamom and cinnamon in the tea sock, before topping with the loose tea.? Once the water boils, turn off the heat, and place the tea sock in the pot, allowing it to steep for 8 minutes.? Remove the sock, and press on its contents with a wooden spoon, to press out as much liquid as possible.? Add the orange blossom water, sugar and salt, stirring to dissolve and allow to cool.? Pour into the pitcher.

2) Compose the beverage.? For a sweet milky tea fill a tall glass, 3/4 of the way with crushed ice.? In a separate container, mix a tsp or two of sweetened condensed milk with the tea.? I like to shake it in a jar with a lid.? Pour it over the crushed ice and top with a tbs of evaporated milk.? For a citrusy, floral tea fill a glass with ice cubes and tea.? Add several thin slices of lime and a drop of jasmine essence.? Garnish with a few sprigs of mint.

The amount of milk and sugar of course is up to you.? I like a touch of sweetness, with a bit of milk, but this is not steadfast.? I would also experiment with the types of teas, and spices.? One recipe I found called for almond extract, another for powdered tamarind.? If your?e able to find orange blossoms you can certainly use them instead of orange blossom water.? I couldn?t seem to find a consensus on what type of tea to use either.? Some claimed Bergamot?but this is a bitter orange, whose oil is added to black tea to make Earl Grey, not an actual tea.? If you do use Earl Grey, or another Bergamot tea, leave out the orange blossom.? A more reliable source claimed Indian tea was used, and this is why I chose the Assam.? The rooibos was an attempt to impart a red color without food coloring, and is not, as far as a can tell, traditional. I did however find that rooibos is drank in Malaysia, Thailand?s neighbor, so who knows.? If anyone can offer insight, please leave a comment.

Source: http://eatingicecreaminthedark.com/2012/08/05/thai-tea-two-ways/

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