Cook and Scale
Cha Yen (Thai Iced Tea)
2 servings · 50 min total
Strong black tea steeped with star anise and cardamom, sweetened with condensed milk and poured over ice, then finished with a slow swirl of cream.
Ingredients
- 5 dl water
- 3 tbsp black tea
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 4 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 12 ice cube
Contains: Milk
Allergen info is best-effort — please verify yourself.
Method
- 1.
Boil the spices in water — Bring the water to the boil in a small saucepan with the star anise, cinnamon stick and cardamom. Let it bubble for 3 minutes so the spices give up their perfume before the tea goes anywhere near it.
- 2.
Steep the black tea — Take the pan off the heat, stir in the black tea and leave it to steep for 5 minutes. Longer than that and the tea turns harsh, which no amount of milk will hide.
- 3.
Sweeten and chill — Strain the tea through a fine sieve into a jug, pressing the leaves gently. Stir in the sugar and vanilla until fully dissolved, then the condensed milk. Cool, then chill for 30 minutes — the tea must be properly cold or the ice waters it down.
- 4.
Pour over plenty of ice — Pack two tall glasses right to the top with ice cubes and pour the chilled tea over, filling each glass about three-quarters. The colour should be a deep, opaque orange-brown.
- 5.
Float the cream on top — Stir the milk and cream together and pour them slowly over the back of a spoon so they sit as a pale cloud on the surface. Serve with a long spoon and stir it through just before drinking.