Recipe: (Herbal) Bubble Tea

Bubble Tea: A Recipe


There are times I want to get my children to drink herbal infusions for medicinal or calming reasons.  For instance, the four year old has been getting off schedule somehow and will not fall asleep until over an hour after bedtime.  My attempts at having him drink a soothing, calming tea have failed.  Until Bubble Tea.

Herbal Bubble Tea

 

 This has been a craze in Asian countries—some mix it with coffee for the grown-up set.  For the most part it has been a popular drink for kids, and my kids are no exception.  It’s healthy and as simple as a smoothie. 

   Herbal Bubble Tea


                1/3 cup small tapioca pearls
                 2 ½ cups water

                ***********************************

                1 cup milk (or less if using cream)
                1/3 cup honey
                2 cups cooled herbal tea
                Ice

 

1)     Small Tapioca Pearls:  Boil these in the water for approximately 5-7 minutes.  They’ll begin to look translucent, (and to us boring grown-ups) feel almost “slimy”.  Small pearls are better because they do expand (and they must be “suckable” through a straw!).  Rinse with cold water in a mesh strainer and set aside. 

 

Tapioca Pearls

               Add pearls         Pearls thicken in water

 

2)     Brew herbal tea and mix honey while the tea is warm, so that it dissipates evenly.  Set aside to cool.

 

3)     In a blender, chop the ice along with milk.  Add tea/honey and tapioca pearls.  This should be frothy.  The pearls will settle on the bottom quickly so make sure every kid gets an even number–they will fight over the cup with most!

                                       Pearls on Bottom            Frothy top & wide straw

 

4)     Serve in a glass cup with a thicker-than-normal straw.  The pearls sit on the bottom of the cup, and children enjoy sucking up the tapioca pearls through the straw.

                                                         Sucking the bubbles

Do you have a specific flavor you prefer? What is your variation to this?

 

–Chaya

3 thoughts on “Recipe: (Herbal) Bubble Tea

  1. Thank you for the simple easy to follow recipe, especially that it’s herbal. I had been searching for a recipe for the kids but they were mostly like 10 bags of black tea .. I don’t even drink that in a week. Now I know the basics of bubble tea and that it can be made in any flavour.

  2. Thank you for this great recipe. My kids love it.

  3. Thanks for this it is so good!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *