Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea

Method

1. 1
   • water 4 dl
   • black tea 3 tsp

   Brew and chill the tea — Start with the tea so it has time to cool: pour 200 ml of just-boiled water over the black tea and steep for 4 minutes, no longer, or it will turn bitter. Strain and leave to cool, then chill.

   ⏱4 min
2. 2
   • tapioca flour 120 g
   • brown sugar 150 g
   • water 4 dl

   Scald the tapioca starch — Bring 70 ml of the water to a rolling boil with 40 g of the brown sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Take the pan off the heat, tip in about a third of the tapioca flour all at once and beat hard to a thick, glossy paste.

3. 3
   • tapioca flour 120 g
   • water 4 dl

   Knead the dough while hot — Scrape the paste into a bowl with the rest of the tapioca flour and knead while it is still hot, using a spatula until you can bear it by hand, for three to four minutes. You want a smooth, soft dough with the feel of modelling clay — add a dusting of flour if it sticks, a teaspoon of hot water if it cracks.

4. 4
   • tapioca flour 120 g

   Roll the pearls — Roll the dough into ropes about 1 cm thick, cut them into 1 cm lengths and roll each one into a ball between your palms. Toss the pearls in a little tapioca flour so they do not stick together and keep them covered.

5. 5
   • water 4 dl

   Boil the pearls — Bring a large pan of water to a hard boil and drop in the pearls, stirring for the first half minute so they do not settle and stick. Boil for 20 minutes, keeping the water moving.

   ⏱20 min
6. 6

   Rest off the heat — Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the pearls sit for 15 minutes. This is what makes them chewy the whole way through — bite one to check there is no chalky white core left.

   ⏱15 min
7. 7
   • brown sugar 150 g
   • molasses 1 tbsp
   • water 4 dl
   • salt 1 pinch

   Coat in brown sugar syrup — Drain the pearls, rinse them briefly under cold water and return them to the dry pan with the remaining brown sugar, the molasses, 3 tablespoons of water and the pinch of salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until the syrup is dark and thick enough to coat every pearl.

   ⏱5 min
8. 8
   • black tea 3 tsp
   • milk 3 dl
   • ice cube 8

   Build the glasses — Spoon the hot pearls and their syrup into two tall glasses and turn the glasses on their side so the syrup streaks down the walls. Add the ice cubes, pour in the cold tea, then float the chilled milk on top and stir just before drinking.