Name: Hong Kong Milk Tea
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 5 tbsp strong Ceylon black tea leaves, a mix of coarse and fine; 600 ml water; 150 ml evaporated milk; 3 tbsp condensed milk, or caster sugar to taste

Hong Kong Milk Tea

Strong black tea pulled repeatedly through a cloth bag and mixed with evaporated milk. Twenty minutes and it should be almost bitter.

20 min total Serves 2 servings Easy

Where This Goes Wrong

Pull it at least six times. That is the smoothness.

Evaporated milk, not fresh.

Brew it stronger than feels right — the milk takes the edge off.

How to Make Hong Kong Milk Tea

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Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan.
Add the tea leaves and boil hard for 4 minutes.
Set a cloth tea bag or fine muslin over a second pan and pour the tea through it.
Pour the strained tea back through the bag into the first pan, from a height.
Repeat this pulling 6 times in total, letting the leaves stay in the bag.
Return the tea and the bag of leaves to the heat and simmer 3 minutes more.
Pull it twice more through the bag.
Warm the evaporated milk without boiling it.
Put the condensed milk in the bottom of each cup and pour the hot tea in.
Add the warm evaporated milk, stir once, and serve very hot.

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Why the Method Works

The pulling — pouring the tea back and forth through the cloth bag six or seven times — is what makes it smooth. Each pass strains out tannin particles and aerates the liquid, so a tea brewed this strong stops being harsh and becomes velvety. Evaporated milk, not fresh: it has the concentration to stand up to tea this strong without turning the whole thing grey and weak.

After You've Cooked It

The tea base keeps 2 days refrigerated. Add milk to order.

Good With

Pineapple bun
Egg tarts
A cha chaan teng at 3pm