ramyaramesh3007This traditional black tea is pulled with sweetened vegan condensed milk and dairy-free milk to create a sweet, frothy and creamy tea.
Teh Tarik is a beloved traditional Malaysian and Singaporean drink made from strong black tea, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk, which is “pulled” (or “tarik”) to create a frothy, smooth texture.
The name “Teh Tarik” literally translates to “pulled tea”, as it points to the method of making it – which includes a dramatic pouring and stretching process that creates foam, froth and a smooth texture.
The drink is especially popular in mamak stalls (open-air cafes run by Indian Muslim traders) where it’s served alongside traditional Malaysian food. It’s commonly enjoyed during breakfast, after meals, or as an afternoon pick-me-up, often served with roti canai (Indian flatbread).
How Teh Tarik Is Made:
- The Tea Base
- Traditionally, strong black tea (often a blend of Ceylon or Assam tea) is brewed. The tea is steeped until it is rich and robust, as the drink needs a strong base to stand up to the sweetness of the milk.
- Sweetened Milk
- A generous amount of sweetened condensed milk is added to the tea, giving it sweetness and a creamy texture. Hence, there is no other sweetener added. For a plant based version, I used sweetened oat condensed milk by Nature’s Charm (not affiliated). They also have a vegan evaporated milk that you can for extra richness – but this recipe doesn’t include it.
- The “Pulling” Process
- This is the signature step where the tea and milk mixture is poured back and forth between two cups at a high height. This helps to mix the tea and milk thoroughly while also creating the characteristic froth and smoothness.
- The pulling also cools the tea to a drinkable temperature while enhancing its texture, making it rich and velvety.
Ingredients You Need
- black tea leaves – you can use regular black tea, ceylon or assam blends.
- vegan sweetened condensed milk
- rich plant milk – oat milk barista blend is a great option (for gluten free, use gluten free oat milk or other milks like cashew or soy)
Vegan Teh Tarik (Pulled Tea)
Ingredients
- 4 heaped tsp black tea leaves
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 cup barista grade oat milk
- 3 tbsp vegan condensed oat milk
Instructions
- Start by brewing fresh black tea leaves in 1.5 cups water. Bring to a boil and add in oat milk. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Strain out the tea leaves using a sock filter and keep the hot tea aside.
- Add sweetened condensed milk to a cup. Carefully pour the tea from one mug to the cup with the condensed milk. Mix well with a spoon.
- Get a traditional teh tarik kettle and pour the tea into the kettle. Hold the kettle and the cup at opposite ends and pour in ascending height so the tea mixes well and a frothy head forms.
- You would need to repeat this process around 5 times to create the signature froth and to cool the tea down to a drinkable temperature.
- Pour the tea into a glass, with a nice frothy top.