In this video, learn how to make Chef John's Thai Spice Sweet Tea with this easy-to-follow recipe. This refreshing drink combines the bold flavors of Thai spices with the classic sweetness of iced tea. Perfect for hot summer days or any time you need a cool, flavorful beverage. Chef John walks you through the steps to create this unique and delicious drink that’s sure to impress your friends and family. Get ready to enjoy a taste of Thailand at home!
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00:00Hello, this is Chef John from FoodWishes.com with Thai Spice Sweet Tea.
00:09That's right, I'm very excited to be sharing this lighter, less sweet, and I think more
00:13refreshing take on Thai-style iced tea.
00:17And if there's a better cold beverage to serve with spicy food, besides beer, I don't know
00:22what that would be.
00:24And to get started, we will add some nice cold fresh water to a saucepan, which for
00:28me is only going to be about four cups, since I already know I'll basically chug everything
00:33I make, since that's how addictive this is.
00:36So be careful.
00:37And then before we make tea, we're going to infuse this water with some aromatic spices
00:42and other exotic ingredients, including a few cardamom pods, which I feel like we should
00:47smash up a little bit before we add them, just to help activate and release all the
00:51flavor.
00:53And then besides some cardamom, we'll also toss in some whole star anise, as well as
00:58a few whole cloves.
01:00And then we'll follow that with a little pinch of cinnamon, which could and probably should
01:04be a cinnamon stick, but I don't like a strong cinnamon flavor in this.
01:09So for me, a little touch of the ground works best.
01:12And at this point, I'm going to add my one and only secret ingredient, which is a little
01:15bit of tamarind paste.
01:17All right, when I first started playing around with this, I noticed some people using tamarind
01:21seeds, which I didn't have.
01:24So I added some of the paste and really loved it.
01:27And that's been my method ever since.
01:29And then what we'll do is set our heat to medium high, and we'll wait for this to come
01:32to a simmer.
01:33And while we do, we can give it a stir, which is probably completely unnecessary.
01:39But you know my philosophy, stirring is relaxing and therapeutic.
01:44But anyway, whether you stir or not, once it starts to simmer, we will reduce our heat
01:47down to low, and we will let this simmer for about five minutes or so.
01:51And we could go a little longer if we wanted to, although we don't want this water to reduce.
01:57So if you did let this go longer for a stronger flavor, you might need to add a little splash
02:01of water back in.
02:03And once this fragrant potion has simmered down low for about five minutes, we are ready
02:07to add our tea, which for me is going to be five bags of red rooibos tea, which is my
02:13personal favorite.
02:14Plus, I'm also going to add two bags of regular black tea for a little more oomph and a little
02:20bit of a more intense flavor.
02:22And some people use only black tea for this, and then they'll sneak in a few drops of red
02:26food coloring.
02:28But if you use the red rooibos, not only will this taste delicious, but you don't have to
02:32do that.
02:33And then what we'll do besides giving it a stir, is wait a couple minutes for this to
02:37come back to a simmer, at which point we're just going to turn off the heat.
02:41And then what we'll do is set our timer for five minutes, and we will let those tea bags
02:46steep.
02:47Although I should mention, some people go longer, and some people go shorter, so you
02:51might have to experiment with the times to dial in your perfect brew.
02:56So maybe do it like me this first time, and then adjust from there.
03:00And then what we'll do once our timer rings, is add the last ingredient, which is going
03:04to be a little touch of sugar.
03:06And we will stir that in, and let it sit for another five minutes, at which point that
03:11sugar should be fully dissolved in that still pretty hot liquid.
03:15And I'm going to go over this later, but the versions I grew up drinking in San Francisco
03:20were actually made with unsweetened tea, and then it was always topped with sweetened condensed
03:24milk, which once stirred in made for a very sweet drink.
03:28But as you'll see, I like to use the opposite approach, where we sweeten the tea, and then
03:33use an unsweetened topping.
03:35And we'll get to that in a minute.
03:37But at this point, once our sugar is dissolved, we'll go ahead and strain this, and we'll
03:41let it sit draining for a few minutes, at which point we should grab a spoon or a spatula,
03:47and squeeze out every single bit of that liquid we can.
03:51Oh yeah, those tea bags are trying to hold on to the best stuff.
03:54And that's it.
03:55Once I had that strained into a bowl, I went ahead and transferred it into this pourable
03:58measuring cup, which we could have just strained directly into, had I thought of it.
04:03But it's fine, as long as I can transfer it in without spilling even a drop.
04:08But if you do drip a little, don't worry.
04:10That's considered very good luck, allegedly.
04:14And once our tea's been strained, and in whatever container we're going to serve it out of,
04:18we've come to the most difficult part of this whole recipe, waiting for this to be chilled
04:22before we drink it.
04:24So what we need to do is wrap this up, and pop it in the fridge until it's ice cold.
04:30Otherwise it's going to melt the ice cubes, and everything's going to get watered down,
04:34which would be disappointing and very regrettable.
04:37So I did chill mine thoroughly, before filling a nice tall glass all the way to the top with
04:41the ice.
04:42And we'll take our now fully chilled tea, and pour it slowly over the top, at which
04:47point this is ready to top with something creamy and delicious, which as I mentioned
04:51traditionally is sweetened condensed milk.
04:54But since the tea's been sweetened, my favorite topping for this is just plain coconut milk,
04:59which is definitely lighter, and way, way less sweet.
05:01Oh, and if the coconut milk you buy looks separated when you open it, just simply toss
05:06it in a blender, and blend it until it's smooth, and it should look exactly like this.
05:12But anyway, once I had my sweet tea coconut milked, I inserted a straw, and finished up
05:18with a little garnish of a whole star anise.
05:21And by the way, I chose a paper straw, a decision I regretted almost immediately, since what
05:27we need to do before we drink this, is push that straw down all the way around, mixing
05:32in about half of our topping into the tea, before we start drinking.
05:36And I like saving the earth as much as the next guy, but that paper straw was no match
05:40for these ice cubes.
05:42So this was a little bit challenging, but I did get it done, at which point I picked
05:47this up, and took a big sip, of one of my favorite cold drinks of all time.
05:52And I think by sweetening the tea, instead of the topping, we have a little more control
05:57over the sweetness level, plus besides being creamy and delicious, I think the flavor of
06:02the coconut milk works so well with all these other ingredients.
06:05I mean obviously if you're a fan of Thai food, you've seen coconut milk used in all kinds
06:09of things, so it really does pair beautifully with this ingredient list.
06:14And coconut milk really isn't something I'd describe as light.
06:17But in comparison to that thick, syrupy, sweetened condensed milk, I do think it's lighter and
06:22makes for a much more refreshing drink.
06:25But having said that, if you want to try it with the unsweetened tea, and then the sweetened
06:28condensed milk on the top, which is how we're supposed to do it, feel free.
06:32I mean you are after all the keystone cop, of how to top.
06:36Oh yeah, sometimes I like to do a rhyme that only people older than me will get.
06:41But fair warning my friends, no matter what you use to top this, or exactly what spices
06:46you used, or how long you let it brew, there is one thing that every Thai-style iced tea
06:51has in common.
06:53It goes way, way too fast.
06:55And as I mentioned earlier, this is why I don't make a gallon, because I would drink
07:00a gallon.
07:01And when you get to the end, you will be overcome with a profound sense of sadness, that your
07:06tea is gone.
07:07In fact, let's all listen to one of the saddest sounds ever recorded.
07:11Oh yeah, it's gone.
07:14So you know what, I'm just going to have to make another one.
07:20But anyway, other than that, this is an absolutely perfect beverage, developed and designed specifically
07:27to go with very, very spicy foods.
07:30And no matter what you enjoy this with, this easy to make version is lighter, and less
07:35sweet, and extremely refreshing, and I really do hope you give it a try soon.
07:41So please follow the links below for the ingredient amounts, a printable written recipe, and much
07:45more info as usual, and as always, enjoy.