i was just wondering if anyone know what kind of tea is in thai iced tea. i tried asking the guy at the resteraunt and he suddenly didnt speak any english so if anyone knows what it is and where i can get some i would greatly appreciate it.
p.s. ~ does it also involve coconut milk too?
oops! this isnt a great debate is it… i ment to put this in genersal questions
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To GQ
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There are oodles of recipes on the web, all of which have different flavoring ingredients. Some seem to indicate that there are varieties of tea that are more authentic, but that regular old black tea, preferably a Chinese variety is fine.
In most restaurants where I’ve had it they used sweetened condensed milk, rather than coconut milk, but apparently that’s fine, too.
http://www.dreamship.com/tea_recipes.htm
http://www.thai-food.com/recipes/thai_icedtea.html
http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/thai/iced-tea1.html
google is your friend
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=thai+iced+tea+recipe&spell=1
Here’s yet another, if you want to make it in bulk!
http://blueray.com/thaitea/recipes.html
Don’t ask me where to get powdered vanilla. I’ve never heard of it before.
Dierburg’s, a St. Louis grocery chain, carries powdered vanilla. It’s on the shelf with the Vanilla extract and such. Your store might have it too.
Mm-mm. Love that Thai Iced Tea!
My reipe for Cha Yen (Thai Iced Tea) from The Ultimate Recipe Thread!:
[quote]
In Thailand, Cha Yen is served cold & super sweet, crowned with a cloud of milk floating on the ice.
It is a cool, sweet drink that converts many a timid first-timer into a Thai food fanatic on the spot. Made from a special blend of chopped black leaves perfumed with star anise, cinnamon, vanilla & other sweet spices. Usually sold in Asian markets in one pound bags labeled Cha Thai or just Thai Tea, but if you can’t find it don’t let that stop you from improvising! I have made delcious versions of Cha Yen with a mixture of Jasmine & regular black tea (a la Lipton), along with some of the above mentioned spices. Add some ground seame seed for a nuttier flavor. I use cinnamon sticks in my home made Cha Thai, not powdered cinnamon. I say this because no matter how carefully I filter, some of the powder manages to sneak into the final product. It’s harmless, but a bit disappointing to see your guests darting their little fingers into the tops of their glass trying to wick out that little floating speck of something they can’t quite identify.
Before beginning the Cha Yen, you will need a supply of Nahm Chuam, or sugar syrup.
Nahm Chuam (Sugar Syrup):
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Combine the sugar & water in a small saucepan & bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain an active simmer & cook until liquid has thickened & colored slightly (about 5 minutes).
Now to the tea:
4 cups water
¾ cup Thai tea
1½ cup nahm chuam
crushed ice to fill glasses
1½ cups half-and-half
In medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Place pyrex (or any heat-resistant) 1 qt. pitcher in sink. When water boils, add tea & remove pan from heat. The tea will float to the top until you stir gently to coax it into the water. When all tea leaves are wet, let steep for 5 minutes.
Pour saucepan contents into pitcher. Don’t fret if the dregs are left behind. Pour tea back & forth between pitcher & saucepan making it darker & stronger (about 8 times, but this depends on your tea), ending up with tea back in the saucepan.
Rinse out the pitcher & place it back in the sink. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the tea back into the pitcher. You can also use a coffee filter if you can keep it from collapsing as you pour. Add the nahm chuam & stir well to blend. Cool to room temperature, then chill until serving time.
Serving this drink is half the impact! Fill a miniature pilsner with crushed ice (regular cubes work fine, too) and pour about ¾ cup of the tea per glass. Top off each glass with about 4 tablespoons of chilled half-and-half. The creamy white top layer will slowly but dramatically swirl down into the light-brown tea. Don’t stir! Let your guests do that with extra long tea spoons (I give everybody a bartender’s drink-mixing spoon known for its long skinny handle that ends in a tiny spoon, but straws work just as well!).
Is this the same as the chai I get at my friendly neighborhood coffeeshop, or no?
No, totally different.
Actually, you can usually find “Thai tea” bagged at your local Asian grocery. Add an appropriate amount of sugar and milk (condensed, cow, coconut, whatever suits you) and you’re in business. It’s never quite as good as the best restaurants, but then you never have that stuff available in gallons, do you?
What I really want to know how to make is Hong Kong style milk tea.