Wintermelon Milk Tea Recipe
Fresh and sweet wintermelon milk tea made from scratch with ash gourd. This authentic Taiwanese bubble tea is naturally refreshing and perfect for hot summer days.
Ingredients
Wintermelon Syrup
- 5 cups wintermelon, peeled and cubes (900 grams)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (150 grams)
- 1.8 oz. rock sugar (50 grams)
Tea Base
- 9 teaspoons Jasmine green tea, loose leaf
- 6 cups water, filtered (1.5 litres)
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ice cubes
Tapioca pearls
- 1 ¾ cups brown sugar boba pearls (300 grams)
- 9 cups water (2 litres)
Instructions
Wintermelon Syrup
- Peel and chop fresh wintermelon into small cubes. Place them in a large bowl and sprinkle the brown sugar on top. Mix well to combine, then let it sit for 1 hour. After 1 hour, the wintermelon will produce a lot of juice.
- Transfer the mixture (including juices) into a pot. Cook over medium heat until the liquid starts bubbling.
- Mix in the rock sugar, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix every 5-10 minutes to prevent the fruit from burning.
- After 1 hour, the fruit should look translucent and the juices will be thicker, like a syrup.
- Option 1: use a large sieve to remove the fruit flesh and keep only the liquid syrup.
- Option 2: place the entire mixture, including fruit flesh into a food processor. Pulse until a very fine paste forms. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove larger pieces of fruit.
- Let the syrup cool down completely to room temperature.
Tea Base
- Boil filtered water in a kettle to 175°F (80°C). Place the Jasmine green tea leaves into a teapot fitted with a mesh infuser.
- Pour the hot water over the tea leaves, cover and let steep for 3 minutes. Do not steep for longer than this as it can make the tea bitter.
- Remove the tea leaves and discard. Cool down to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Tapioca Pearls
- Cook the brown sugar boba pearls as indicated on the package. Once cooked, transfer then to ice water. Use within a few minutes for the best chewy texture.
Assembling the Wintermelon Milk Tea
- In a tall serving glass, place 2-3 tablespoons of wintermelon syrup. Adjust amount to personal preference (more syrup for a sweeter drink, less for a healthier beverage).
- Pour cold tea over the syrup, then mix everything together to dissolve the wintermelon syrup.
- Add in the desired amount of tapioca pearls. Recommended amount is 2-3 tablespoons of cooked boba.
- Top with cold milk and finish with ice cubes. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Nutritional value is estimative only and is calculated per serving (this recipe makes 6 servings) with 2 tablespoons tapioca pearls and 2 tablespoons of wintermelon syrup.
- Use boba pearls immediately after cooking them.
Nutrition
Calories: 218kcal
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