Lunar New Year Milk Tea

We’re celebrating Lunar New Year with homemade milk tea made from scratch with real milk. This recipe makes 4 servings (4.5 cups) and can be served hot or over ice.

Instructions

1. In a wide saucepan, heat: 2 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2. Bring to a simmer and whisk until the sugar is dissolved
3. Reduce the heat. Cook, while whisking and scraping the sides of the saucepan, until reduced to 1 cup. (35- 60 min depending on width of saucepan). The mixture should be thickened and slightly darker
4. For the tea, bring 5 cups of  water to a boil. Add tea bags or loose-leaf tea. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 min
5. Let the tea steep for 10 min. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Gently press on the tea with a spoon to release as much liquid as possible
6. When the milk base is ready, transfer it to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the tea and blend again
7. To serve hot, pour back into a clean saucepan and reheat over medium heat. To serve cold, refrigerate until chilled, re-whisk or reblend, and pour over ice