Thai Iced Tea + Dalgona
Popularly known as Thai Iced Tea around the world! In Thailand, it’s called Cha Yen, literally meaning “cold tea”. The version of Thai iced tea we are familiar with, the pinkish-orange and heavily spiced concoction isn’t exactly a quintessential Thai beverage. It’s actually a culinary hybrid, intermixing a lowbrow Thai street tea with the western taste for sweetened and brightly colored iced beverages.
History
With a long history of trade between Thailand and China, tea was undoubtedly first introduced by the Chinese. Tea culture is a relatively new phenomenon in Thailand, brought in by the Chinese traders to supplant opium as a cash crop and thereby curb drug trafficking. Chinese immigrants initially settled around Thai trading ports and gradually integrated into the society, bringing with them their tea drinking culture, particularly Oolong.
The development of Thai tea however, seems unrelated to the consumption of Oolong. Thai tea is black and preferred strong. The addition of dairy and crushed ice, is more likely to have its roots in Europe or America rather than China. Many suspect it was a lingering influence from Field Marshal Pibul Songkram, a Thai leader with a penchant for western culture, who is also credited with popularizing Pad Thai. Thai tea became a staple of Thai street food culture, sometimes spiced with star anise and orange blossom water.
The Distinct Orange Color
The origin of tea in Thailand does go back well over 1000 years and tea drinking was introduced during the reigns of King Rama IV and King Rama V in the early 1800s. During this time British and other foreigners who resided in Thailand also brought their own tea with them. After the tea was brewed and served to the master, the domestic workers would brew the same tea leaves again instead of discarding it. As the flavor and color of the tea would fade, orange food coloring and flavorings like star anise, tamarind and orange blossom water were added to extend the life of the tea and also to make it more appealing. Another theory is that restaurants started adding food coloring to help differentiate between Thai iced coffee and Thai iced tea, as both of these milky beverages featured the same beige appearance.
In Thailand, iced tea is not a drink that is typically made at home, instead you'll find it being sold out of street carts or coffee shops, served in glasses or plastic bags. Vendors will tie up one end of a plastic bag and stick a straw in the other end, or tie up the whole thing and poke a straw in the middle. In the morning, you'll often see the drink served hot, alongside fried dough for dipping; whereas on hot, humid afternoons, ice is added to turn it into a stimulating cooler.
To be honest, it’s just an ordinary beverage and it’s their only famous non-alcoholic drink. It’s not something Thai people even necessarily drink every day but somehow it managed to catch the imagination of North Americans. It’s possible Thai iced tea gained popularity as a way to counterbalance the spiciness of Thai cuisine for westerners who aren’t used to eating heavy spices. Around the world, Thai iced tea has become a ubiquitous menu offering, usually the first thing people discover when dining at a typical Thai restaurant.
But you don’t have to wait to have it at a restaurant, it is super easy to make it at home. There is an extreme heatwave going on in California right now. We are also still on lock down mode due to the rising numbers, so going to a Thai restaurant is out of the question. Thai iced tea is one of our party favorite drinks in the summer when we have (used to have lol) friends and family over. With the recent dalgona craze, I wanted to fuse the two - Dalgona Coffee and Thai iced tea. And so I present you two variations - my go to crowd pleaser, the original Thai Iced Tea and the viral (touché) favorite, dalgona...but even better Dalgona Whipped Thai Iced Tea.
Recipe: Thai Iced Tea
Serves: 2
The classic base for Thai iced tea is strongly brewed Ceylon tea, or a locally grown version of Assam Tea known as Bai Miang. One of Thailand’s most popular and beloved tea brands is “Number One Brand”, which incorporates a light amount of crushed spices in addition to tea leaves. The drink is made by placing the tea in a pot lined with a pantyhose filter, brewing the leaves for a long time, then adding condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and crushed ice. I have an easier and cleaner method of brewing Thai tea instead of using the sock/pantyhose and it involves a French press. Speaking from experience, it’s hassle free and you end up cleaning less tea dust and tea stains this way.
Thai Tea Leaves - 6-8 Tbsp, I switch between these two Number One Brand and Pantai
Water, off the boil - 16 oz (2 cups)
Fill your French press with Thai tea leaves then fill it with off-the-boil water. Stir to make sure the tea leaves has dissolved. Set it aside for about 10 minutes or so, then stir it again with a spoon and press down the plunger to separate the tea leaves from the liquids.
Note: If you don’t have a french press, you can try using the traditional Thai tea strainer. It's only 6 bucks on Amazon last I checked.
Thai tea leaves have a lot of dust so I prefer to double strain it. Use a large mesh strainer and top it off with a coffee filter, strain the tea into a mixing jug.
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 3 Tbsp
Sugar - 2 Tbsp
Salt - just a pinch
Evaporated Milk - 1/2 cup
Crushed Ice, a lot of it
When ready to serve, Add condensed milk, sugar, salt and stir to mix.
Note: if it’s being served immediately, make sure the milk and tea concoction is a little bit on the sweeter side, that way when it hits the ice, it will dilute and tone down the sweetness, otherwise it will be bland. If you want to make the tea in advance and chill before serving, consider adding a little more water because pouring cold tea over ice will not melt the ice as much, and it might be too thick/sweet. But do taste test and adjust according to your preference!
Fill two glasses all the way to the top with crushed ice and pour in the mixed tea, leaving a little room on top. Drizzle the top with some evaporated milk and enjoy.
Note: A really good iced tea should have a little foam and some bubbles on the top, kind of like a cappuccino froth, but not as thick. If you want it to foam and have bubbles on top, kind of like a cappuccino froth, you can use a Nespresso Aeroccino or a handheld electric milk frother. If you don’t have one, you can pour the milk tea mix in a large mason jar, tighten the lid and shake it vigorously. I have tried both my Nespresso milk frothier and mason jar, they both work great!
Thai Iced Tea with Boba
Add some boba pearls to the bottom before filling up the glass with ice and voilà, we have one of the most popular order at boba tea shops — Thai Iced Tea with Boba. You can buy boba from here on Amazon or your local Asian grocery stores. Follow the package direction on how to cook the tapioca pearls. You will need about 1/4 cup of uncooked boba per person. The first time I made it, it was pretty shocking how easy it is to make it at home.
Here’s a fun video showing how we make our Thai Iced Tea with Boba at home.
Recipe: Dalgona Whipped Thai Iced Tea
Serves: 2
Thai Tea Leaves - 4 Tbsp, I switch between these two Number One Brand and Pantai
Water, off the boil - 8 oz (1 cup)
Follow the same direction as above using a French press to make the tea.
Hot Thai Tea - ¼ cup, 2 oz
Instant Coffee - 3 Tsp, I like Nescafe
Sugar - 3 Tsp
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, coffee, and 1/4 cup of hot tea. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, vigorously whisk until mixture turns silky smooth and shiny, then continue whisking until it thickens and holds its lofty, foamy shape. If whisking by hand, it will take 8 to 12 minutes to get to optimal fluffiness. I like a frothy and foamy texture but if you prefer it creamy, keep whisking until you get the thicker creamier texture.
Hot Thai Tea - 6 oz
Milk - 6 oz
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1.5 Tsp
Sugar - 1 Tsp, optional if you like it sweet
Crushed Ice, a lot of it
When ready to serve, mix milk, Thai tea, sweetened condensed milk and sugar, stir well. Fill two glasses most of the way full with crushed ice and top it off with the milk tea mix. You can also layer the milk, followed by Thai tea instead of mixing/stirring them. Then dollop and swirl the whipped Thai tea on top, mixing before drinking.
