hibiscus bubble tea

When our Tapioca Pearls arrived in store before Christmas, I set myself the challenge of making Boba, aka Bubble Tea from scratch. Why was it going to be a challenge? Because traditionally the bubble tea you buy already made uses the larger tapioca pearls, whereas we stock the tiny ones. I wasn't sure it would work.

I'm pleased to report back that it does indeed work. The process was straightforward and fast. So I encourage you to give this deceptively simple drink a go.

​Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 10 min, Chill time: 1 hour
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
½ cup uncooked tapioca pearls
4 cups water (for cooking tapioca pearls)
4 teaspoons dried hibiscus flowers
1-2 tablespoons sugar of choice 
1 cup hot water (for steeping tea)
milk of choice
ice

Method:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly add the tapioca pearls. Bring water back up to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so pearls don't clump together. Scoop a few pearls out with a slotted spoon to test for softness - they should be soft but with a little chew, a bit like pasta.

Tip the cooked pearls into a colander in the sink and run plenty of cold tap water over them straight away so they don't cling together, and also so they stop cooking. Set aside.

Meanwhile, pour 1 cup boiling water over dried hibiscus flowers and sugar; stir well then let steep for 10 minutes. Strain, stir again then allow liquid to completely cool in the fridge before making your drink.

To assemble your Bubble Tea:
Divide tapioca pearls between two tall glasses. Add ice and sweet hibiscus tea mixture evenly into both glasses. Add a splash of coconut milk  or any other milk you fancy. Add a parfait spoon to help scoop up those plump tapioca pearls. Stir and enjoy!

Pimp My Recipe
Whilst I used hibiscus tea for this recipe, Bubble Tea is traditionally made with a base of black tea and fruit syrup. If you want to try the black tea version, use black tea in place of hibiscus leaves, and add fruit flavoured syrup or cordial instead of the sugar. 

Adapt the separate components of this recipe to your taste. The strength of the tea, the sweetness, and amount of milk and pearls. 

Milk: I tested this recipe with regular full cream milk, oat milk and coconut milk, and they all passed the taste test. However if you want to turn the authenticity up a notch, try using canned evaporated milk. It's what's traditionally used in a lot of commercial bubble tea shops.