If you have purchased our tea from the shop, you will notice I call it “tea tarik“, instead of tea, because it is the Malaysian specialty Tea.

“Teh” in Malaysian language is tea, and “tarik” means “pull”. So “teh tarik” is pulled tea in the English language.

Teh tarik is a popular Malaysian style Ceylon milk tea, which we usually enjoy  with breakfast at the local kopitiam.  It is a very popular tea in Malaysia, most commonly found in kopitiam (local coffee shop) or along the mamak stalls (open-air food court generally found in Asia).

I remembered very fondly a few years ago I had the most amazing teh tarik in London’s Chinatown. I was very tired and cold from a long day of walking, and I came across a Malaysian Restaurant in Chinatown. I was longing for a hot cup of beverage, and noticed that they served teh tarik. And without hesitation, I ordered a cup.  In my mind, I was expecting a 3-1 premix teh tarik. I did not mind, as long as it tasted like Teh Tarik and it was hot.

A few minutes later, the Teh Tarik arrived. On my first sip… I was almost in tears… It was so authentically delicious, with just the right amount of ceylon tea aroma, sweetness and creaminess… and it was HOT!  I was bought back to my happy childhood food memory lane, at the roadside coffee shop.

I turned around and told the owner (a fellow Malaysian from Kuala Lumpur) how happy I was, and it was such a pleasure to be able to taste such a beautiful and authentic cup of Teh Tarik, even when we were so far away from home.  He said his mother made the tea herself, and she just brought the tea back from Malaysia.  I thanked the mother and told her how happy that cup of tea made me.  It was such a privilege!

Teh Tarik is one of those teas that has a unique flavour if it is brewed and made perfectly. Traditional teh tarik uses the tea dust strained in a cotton tea strainer. However, right now, it mostly comes in tea bags for a more convenient alternative.

So what and why the pulling?

The cup of hot tea is repeatedly poured between 2 cups on high angles until the texture is smooth and frothy. Personally, I believe that this is the traditional method of creating the milky froth that we have today using the steam wand on a coffee machine.

The recipe for teh tarik is simple:

Hot water, tea dust and sweetened condensed milk. However, some people would add evaporated milk to it and then you pull!

  • 500ml cup of hot water
  • 2 tbsp tea dust or 1 sachet of tea dust
  • 2-4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
  • 3-5 tbsp evaporated milk (optional)

Preparations:

  1. Brew the tea in hot water for 3-5 minutes.
  2. Strain and pour into a clean cup.
  3. Add sweetened condensed milk and stir.
  4. Carefully pour the tea into a second cup back and forth several times until the texture of the tea is creamy and frothy.
  5. Once you have achieved the desired texture, pour the tea into another cup and serve immediately.

Adjust the condensed milk/sweetness according to your taste.

Enjoy your teh tarik!

Grab the tea from Nyonyalicious Online Store

https://nyonyalicious.com.au/product/teh-tarik/