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okinawa milk tea

Okinawa Milk Tea Recipe

Simantini Singh Deo
Okinawa milk tea has a rich caramelized, creamy & velvety smooth taste that is made using black tea, milk, kokuto sugar, & tapioca pearls.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Asian
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • 2 Small Saucepan
  • Bowl
  • Medium-Sized Saucepan
  • Tea Strainer
  • Large Bubble Tea Glasses
  • Milk Frother
  • Bubble Tea Straw

Ingredients
  

For Sugar Syrup

  • 0.75 Cups Of Water
  • 1.5 Cups Of Kokuto Sugar Okinawa Brown Sugar
  • For Tapioca Pearls Boba Pearls
  • 9 Cups Of Water
  • 2.25 Cups Of Water

For Milk Tea Base

  • 6 Cups Of Water
  • 1.5 Cups Of Cold Milk Of Your Choice
  • 9 tsp Of Assam Black Tea
  • Whipping Cream Optional

Instructions
 

For Making Sugar Syrup

  • Take a saucepan and add water along with the kokuto sugar over medium to high heat.
  • Keep stirring at regular intervals to enable the sugar to dissolve easily. Cook it until it starts to boil.
  • Next, reduce the heat to low to medium and let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes to get a sticky & thick consistency.

For Preparing The Tapioca Boba Pearls

  • In a separate small saucepan, add water and bring it to a boil. When the water starts to build, add the tapioca pearls and cook for a few minutes, as mentioned in the packet. Boba pearls are usually cooked when they rise to the top in nearly 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Drain the remaining water in the saucepan and pour the sugar syrup over the tapioca pearls.
  • Cook them for 2 to 3 minutes over low heat. This will help them to soak up the sugar syrup properly. Turn off the heat and keep it aside.

For Making The Milk Tea Base

  • In a medium-sized saucepan, add water and bring it to a boil. Infuse the water with Assam black tea and cover the lid. Let it brew for at least 5 minutes, and using a tea strainer, strain it & discard the tea leaves.
  • Now, in the large bubble tea glasses, pour in the brewed tea up to 3/4th of the glasses.
  • Next, pour nearly 1/4th cup of chilled milk on top of the tea and give it a nice stir.
  • Add the tapioca pearls and sugar syrup into the glasses.
  • Using a milk frother, froth some whipping cream or even milk and add it on top of the tea. You can sprinkle some kokuto on top as well.
  • Insert bubble tea straws in each glass and serve it immediately!

Notes

  • I have chosen Assam black tea to make this recipe, but you can choose any black tea that you like. 
  • You can adjust the quantity of sugar syrup & tapioca pearls according to your preference. But be careful about not making your Okinawa milk tea too sweet. I would suggest that you add 2 to 3 tablespoons of tapioca pearls and one tablespoon of sugar syrup. 
  • Remember to mix everything properly with the give bubble tea straw before you consume the Okinawa milk tea. 
  • You can use any type of milk, like almond milk, soy milk or even plant-based milk. 
  • Additionally, I would recommend you to use full fat milk. This will give the tea a more creamier and rich flavour.
  • If kokuto sugar is not available, you can use brown sugar or palm sugar. But remember that the taste will not be the same. 
  • Don't over brew the tea, not more than 5 minutes, because it will make the tea taste bitter. If you prefer to have a stronger tea flavour, just add an extra teaspoon of Assam black tea.
Keyword Okinawa Milk Tea'