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Cooking America.
Finally there's a drink that's fun to eat! Move over trendy coffee drinks and make way for the
new drink craze that is going on
right now, especially in communities with large Asian populations.
Southerners have always known that nothing
beats the heat quite like sweet tea with lemon mint, and sugar, but the
concept is relatively new to the rest of America. Over the last year or
so, Bubble Tea has moved beyond their roots in the predominately Asian
suburbs and gained in popularity across the United States. Especially
popular with young adults in larger U.S. west coast cities of San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and in the Canadian cities of Vancouver
and Toronto. The Hawaiian Islands and New York City are also accepting
this drink craze.
What is Bubble Tea?
Bubble Tea is the catch-all name for endless unusual names of
this drink such as: tapioca pearl drink, tapioca ball drink, pearl
shake, pearl tea, black pearl tea, big pearl, boba tea, boba ice tea,
boba nai cha, milk tea, bubble drink, zhen zhu nai cha, momi, momi milk
tea, QQ, BBT, PT, and possibly many other names.
This drink is far from the plain-looking
tea that you are generally familiar with and it is hard to explain to
the uninitiated. It is non-alcoholic and non-carbonated. The tea is
sweet, though it has less sugar than a typical soft drink. There are a
huge variety of flavors to try, depending on the tea house or stand you
visit. The drink is usually a mix of tea, milk, sugar, and giant black
tapioca balls. The "bubble" refers to the foam created by shaking the
freshly brewed tea with ice (the drink must always be shaken and not
stirred).
For the first-timers, ordering a Bubble
Tea can be an event. The tea is likely to be in pastel colors of pink,
green or yellow. The unique ingredient of Bubble Tea is the
tapioca pearls
. About the size of pearls or small marbles, they have a
consistency like gummy candy (soft and chewy). Being heavier than the
drink they tend to always stay near the bottom of the glass. These
drinks are usually served in large see-through plastic containers with
an extra-wide straw to sip these jumbo pearls. Just sucking on the
translucent straw creates a show, with pearls floating up in succession.
Children like to blow the balls out from the straw to shoot at targets
or at each other.
Some people find the tapioca balls bizarre
and repelling. If you try it and like it - you'll crave the drink and
never look at coffee the same way again!
The Bubble Tea craze has been huge in
Taiwan, and other parts of Southeast Asia for the last 15 years. In
fact, Bubble Tea has taken Taiwan by storm over the past decade. The
drink originally started as a childhood treat in Taiwan in the late
1980's at small tea stands in front of the schoolhouses. Teenagers and
elementary school children looked forward to their after school tea.
Tapioca pearls are made mostly from tapioca starch. Tapioca starch is
starch made from tapioca or bitter-cassava plant, sometimes called
manioca or yuca in some parts of the world. The bitter-cassava plant is
native to South America and was introduced into Asia sometime during the
19th century. Someone came up with the idea of adding tapioca pearls as
a bit of novelty, and the idea spread. This created a new fad of adding
tapioca pearls into the children's favorite tea drinks.
Bubble tea can be made at home, but
preparing tapioca pearls can be quite labor intensive as the tapioca
pearls must be consumed immediately to maintain freshness and not lose
their soft gummy texture. It's easier to skip making it yourself and
head down to the various Bubble Tea shops which have sprung up.
Classic Bubble Tea Recipe - How To Make Bubble Tea
Recipe Type:
Beverage,
Tea
Yields: 1 (16-ounce) drink
Prep time:
5 min
Cook time: 30 min (Tapioca Pearls Cooking)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chilled, cooked large tapioca pearls (if substituting smaller tapioca, use 1/3 cup)*
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup very strong chilled black tea (or orange pekoe tea or Lichee tea)
1 cup milk or to taste
Honey or granulated sugar to taste
* See How To Cook
Tapioca Pearls below.
Preparation:
Place the pearls in a large parfait glass. Combine all
remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously until
the mixture is frothy.
Pour into the glass, and serve with extra-thick
straws.
Yields one
(16-ounce) drink.
How To Cook Tapioca Pearls:
Ingredients:
6 to 8 cups water (the ration is a minimum 7:1 water to tapioca
pearls)
1 cup tapioca pearls
Preparation:
In a large pot (Make
sure the pot is big enough so boiling tapioca water will not spill
over) over high heat, add water and bring to a boil.
Slowly stir in the
tapioca pearls so that they do not stick together (after 1 minute,
the tapioca pearls should float). Reduce heat to medium and let
boil, covered, for approximately 15 minutes; turn the heat off and
let the tapioca pearls site, covered, for an additional 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove from heat, rinse the tapioca pearls in cold
water, and drain.
NOTE:
The cooking time above is a general guideline. If you shorten the
cooking time, you will get chewier tapioca balls. Cook longer and
you will get less elastic tapioca balls.
Add the cooked tapioca
pearl to your favorite Bubble Tea recipe.
