If you've ever tried bubble tea, you'll know how delicious – and inexpensively – this uniquely sweet drink is. Basically, bubble tea is a sweet or smooth iced tea mixed with boba – chewy, pearl-like balls made from tapioca. With a little time and the right ingredients, you can turn your kitchen into a bubble tea shop!
Step
Method 1 of 4: Preparing Tapioca Pearls (Boba)
Bobas are usually available in two sizes and can be purchased at Asian food stores (or online). Follow the instructions on the box if you can, but they usually don't translate well. Generally this is how:
Step 1. Soak the boba for a few hours if you want the boba to be soft on the inside, not soft on the outside and chewy on the inside (most people usually like this one)
Step 2. Measure the water 7 to 1 against the boba
Bring the water to a boil.
Step 3. Add the boba and stir to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan
Step 4. When the boba floats, cover the pot and let the water boil for another 30 minutes
Stir every 10 minutes.
Step 5. Remove the pan from the stove and leave the boba in the covered pot for 30 minutes
Step 6. Rinse the boba with slightly warm water or cold water
Step 7. Sweeten the boba with honey or sugar syrup (which can be made according to the instructions below) to taste (which can also be used to sweeten drinks)
- Mix one cup of sugar, one cup of palm sugar, and two cups of water in a saucepan.
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Bring to a boil, then remove the pot from the stove.
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Let it cool.
Step 8. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for no more than 4 days (or it will turn into mush)
When you want to use it, boil a glass of water and place the boba in the water to warm it up.
Method 2 of 4: Soak in sugar water instead of cooking
Step 1. Follow the steps in the first method to cook boba
Then rinse.
Step 2. Prepare the sugar water
Mix 100 ml of hot water with 100 grams of palm sugar (if you don't have palm sugar you can use regular sugar and honey).
Step 3. Stir until the sugar is dissolved
Then pour into a bowl.
Step 4. Let the bobo sit for 15 minutes in the sugar water
Step 5. Now the boba is ready to serve
Method 3 of 4: Traditional Milk Tea
Step 1. Make the tea
Bubble tea is traditionally made from black tea, but you can use green tea, chai, yerba mate, or any type of tea. You can even use coffee!
Step 2. Mix 3/4 cup tea with 2 tablespoons cream and 1 tablespoon sugar syrup (as noted above) in a whisk
You can replace cream with soy milk, milk, cream and milk mixture, sweetened condensed milk or non-dairy creamer.
Step 3. Add ice, cover the beater, and beat the dough until it's frothy
(The air bubbles formed by shaking are the origin of the name bubble tea, although most people think it's because the boba is shaped like air bubbles!)
Step 4. Put 3-4 tablespoons of boba in a glass and then pour the liquid from the shaker
Step 5. Stir and drink
Method 4 of 4: Fruity Bubble Tea
Step 1. Mix ice, fresh fruit (or fruit juice), sweetener (or sugar syrup) and cream (or substitute) in a blender, blending until smooth
Thickness and proportions can be adjusted to taste.
Step 2. Place 3-4 tablespoons of boba in a glass then pour the fruit solution over it
Step 3. Stir and drink
Tips
- You can also buy boba which only takes 5 minutes to cook at Asian markets. It's quicker to set up anytime you want.
- These tapioca pearls are high in calories! For a lighter alternative, use Nata de coco and chop it into small squares.
- If you can buy a straw with a large diameter so you can suck the boba, you can enjoy the bubble tea experience even more! Even without a large straw it's still delicious; just use a spoon to enjoy the boba.
