If you have never had the opportunity to sip a tall glass of Thai Iced Tea, you have really missed out on one of life's serious pleasures. My cousin Shirlee and I spent a lot of time trying to justify another run over to a little Thai restaurant in Fullerton (California) where we routinely washed down our yummy Larb with that eminently delicious tea.
Thai tea is in a whole different world than regular iced tea, which here in California we mostly drink unsugared. In fact, we avoid southern "sweet tea" like it was the plague. But we cetainly do make allowances for the sweet taste of Thai Iced tea.
The trick, of course, is finding a store that sells the special tea leaves that are used. Most any smallish oriental/indonesian market will have it in bulk. When steeped, it make a very deep orange color.
Believe me, the taste of this wonderful drink is worth all the effort you have to go through to find the proper tea leaves.
THAI ICED TEA
6 C water
1 C tea
1 C sugar
1 can evaporated milk
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the tea and remove the pan from heat. Stir to submerge all the tea leaves in the water. Steep for about 5 minutes. Pour the brew through a coffee filter or a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher. Add the sugar to the hot tea and stir to dissolve. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve: Fill tall glasses with crushed ice. Add enough of the tea to fill the glasses to within one inch from the top. Then float 3 to 4 tablespoons of evaporated milk over the ice in each glass.
1 comment:
Hmm, that's something I have never heard of. It's been a long time since I've been to a Thai place, so may i should check one out.
New Englanders eschew sweet tea, too.
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