Bubble Tea, Fruit & Milk Drinks

 Bubble tea is made by adding cooked tapioca pearls to sweetened black tea or green tea. Add milk for a creamier texture. Add cooked tapioca pearls to iced coffee, juice and alcoholic drinks as well.

Tapioca Pearls (Tea for Two)

• 6 cups (1-1/2 litres) water
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) dried large, dark brown tapioca pearls
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated white sugar
• 4 cups (1 L) sweetened brewed green or black tea (or other drink)

Bring 4 cups water to boil in a small pot over medium-high heat.

Add tapioca pearls, stirring constantly to prevent clumping and sticking to bottom of pot.

When pearls float to surface of water, turn heat down to medium.

Simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove pot from heat. Let pearls soak in the hot water an additional 20 to 30 minutes (or until they are as soft and chewy as you want them to be.)

In the meantime, in another pot, heat 2 cups water and stir in sugar until dissolved.

Strain pearls from the first pot and add to the heated sugar water.

Refrigerate 15 minutes. Now add the pearls to tea.

If not using immediately, keep pearls in sugar water, in the fridge, no more than a few hours.

Serves two.

Matcha Coconut Milk Tea for Two

• 2 tsp. matcha powder
• 2 Tbsp hot water
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup cooked tapioca pearls
• 1/2 cup finely chopped frozen coconut (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk matcha powder and hot water to make a thick paste.

Add maple syrup, coconut milk and water, whisking until smooth.

Divide tapioca pearls into 2 serving glasses.

Pour in matcha mixture.

Add frozen coconut or other frozen fruit if desired and serve.

Cinnamon Rice Milk Cooler

Makes 2-1/2 quarts of milk. 15 minutes to prepare, 4 hours to chill.

• 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
• 2 (32 oz) containers rice milk
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup sugar
• cinnamon sticks for garnish (optional)

1. Break a cinnamon stick into small pieces in a small skillet. Stir pieces over high heat 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. In a food processor or blender, browned cinnamon pieces, rice milk and 3 cups milk, in batches, until smooth.
3. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into saucepan, discard cinnamon pieces.
4. Stir in sugar and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
5. Chill mixture 2-4 hours.
6. Sere over crushed ice with cinnamon stick garnish.

Watermelon Punch

Makes 8 cups

• 3 cups fresh watermelon juice (1 small watermelon)
• 2 cups fresh orange juice (6-8 large oranges)
• 2/3 cups fresh lemon juice (3 large lemons)
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• optional: lime wedges or lemon slices to garnish

1. Put water, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then boil 3 minutes.
2. Let sugar mixture cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, cut watermelon from the rind, remove any seeds, and cut in cubes. Process in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Pour through a wire-mesh strainer, reserving 3 cups of juice. Discard the pulp.
4. Stir the orange juice into the cooled sugar mixture, then stir in the watermelon juice.
5. Chill thoroughly.
6. Stir again and serve over crushed ice.

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Bubble Tea

Tapioca Pearl Bubble Tea

This basic recipe and the variations that follow are from an August, 2018 issue of the Toronto Star newspaper.

Serves 2. Use within 2 hours of making the pearls.

• 6 cups water
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) large dried dark brown tapioca pearls
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 4 cups sweetened brewed green or black tea

In a small pot over medium--high heat, bring 4 cups water to a boil.

Add tapioca pearls, stirring constantly to prevent pearls from clumping and sticking to bottom of pot.

When pearls float to top of pot, turn heat down to medium.

Simmer pearls, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Let sit 20-25 minutes so pearls soak in water (reduce time if you want harder, chewier pearls).

While pearls soak, in a bowl, whisk together 2 cups water with 1/2 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Strain pearls and add to sugar water.

Let soak 15 minutes in fridge.

Add to chilled black or green tea (or other beverage, see recipes below).

Serve immediately or keep refrigerated in sugar water for up to 2 hours.

Ginger-Peach Bubble Tea for Two

Prepare tapioca pearls as in recipe above.

Bring to a boil in a pot:

• 1 Tbsp grated ginger
• 4 cups water

Turn heat to low, add and stir to dissolve:

• 2 Tbsp sugar

Simmer 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add:

• 1 Tbsp green tea leaves OR 2 tea bags

Steep 10 minutes. Strain out ginger and tea leaves.

Stir in:

• 1 cup finely diced peaches (about 2)
• Gin or vodka, to taste

Chill at least 1 hour or until cold.

Divide cooked tapioca pearls between two tall glasses.

Pour equal amounts tea and chopped peaches in both.

Serve immediately.

Matcha-Maple Coconut Bubble Tea

• 2 tsp matcha powder
• 2 Tbsp hot water
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup cooked tapioca pearls
• 1/2 cup finely chopped frozen coconut

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tsp matcha powder and 2 Tbsp hot water to make a paste.

Add 3 Tbsp maple syrup, 1-1/2 cups coconut milk, 1/2 cup cold water, whisk smooth.

Divide tapioca pearls into 2 tall glasses, pour in matcha mixture.

Add frozen coconut and serve immediately.

Bubble Tea 2 (2 servings)

From the Toronto Star, June 2021 when tapioca pearls were available again after being in short supply during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Cook tapioca pearls according to package directions or recipe:

• 7 Tbsp (100 grams) tapioca pearls
• 2-1/2 cups boiling water

Add the pearls to boiling water  in a pot and stir well.

Lower heat to medium high.

Stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, cook 25 minutes.

Turn off heat. Cover pot.

Let rest 25 minutes.

Pearls are ready when they look bigger, have a chewy texture, aren't too goopy.

Drain.

Rinse off excess starch by rinsing pearls in lukewarm water.

Mix pearls with sweetener:

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Tea 1 serving:

Steep for 5 minutes:

• 1 tsp loose leaf tea
• 1 cup hot boiled water (80-95 degrees C. for black tea)

Assembly:

In a shaker, combine:

• 160 mL steeped tea
• 60 mL milk (whole, half-and-half, other)
• 20 mL honey or liquid cane sugar
• 1 cup ice

Shake well, 10 seconds.

In each serving glass, place:

• 4 Tbsp prepared tapioca pearls
• prepared tea mixture

Variations: Add flavoured powders, aloe vera jelly, or an espresso shot.

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