Brunch

Suutei Tsai – Salted Milk Tea

Name: Suutei Tsai – Salted Milk Tea
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 500 ml Water; 2 tbsp Thé noir; 500 ml Milk; 1 pinch Salt; 10 g (optional) Butter; 1 tsp (optional, toasted) Flour

Preparation time: 10 min
Servings: 2

Ingredients

Water — to buy500 ml
Thé noir — to buy2 tbsp
Milk — to buy500 ml
Salt — to buy1 pinch
Butter — to buy10 g (optional)
Flour — to buy1 tsp (optional, toasted)

Preparation

Bring 500 ml of water to a boil in a pot, then add the black tea (loose-leaf or crumbled from a pressed brick) and let it steep for 2 minutes over low heat.
Pour in the milk and bring it back to a gentle boil, watching closely: milk rises fast and boils over easily.
Lower the heat and let it simmer for 3 minutes at a bare simmer so the tea and milk flavors blend without the milk curdling.
Add a generous pinch of salt: the signature touch of this nomadic drink, where salt replaces sugar and reflects the tea's role as much as a source of hydration and minerals as a social drink.
For a richer version, melt a knob of butter and stir in a spoonful of flour lightly toasted dry in a pan: this optional addition slightly thickens the tea and gives it a rounder flavor, closer to how it's served on special occasions.
Strain the milk tea through a fine sieve to remove the leaves, straight into the serving bowls.
Serve piping hot, first thing in the morning or throughout the day: in nomadic households, the pot of suutei tsai stays warm on the stove, ready to share with every visitor.