Teh Tarik (Delicious Frothy, Milky Tea)

Teh Tarik is practically an old, national pastime in Singapore and Malaysia. It may be a drink, but it’s also a habit; but sadly, one that’s on the decline in the 21st century of fancy schmancy chain store coffee.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

milky tea in glass
Teh Tarik

What is Teh Tarik?

It’s tea with milk, for starters. But that’s only half of it. It hailed from India a long, long time ago, and is something mainly sold by the Tamil Muslim drink stall owners.

The name is in Malay, so let’s break it down:

  • teh = tea
  • tarik = pull

So, literally translated, it means pulled tea!

Strong, black tea, sweetened and creamed with condensed milk, it’s poured from a height from one glass to another, with at least a metre between the glasses.

This airs the tea and creates a beautiful froth, that unlike in my pictures, stays for a long time after! See the image below taken by my sister in law many years ago.

this is how you do it!

What is Teh Tarik Made of?

It’s very easy to make at home. Just follow the recipe below and adjust the sweetness accordingly. All you need is:

  • black tea
  • boiling water
  • condensed milk
  • optional evaporated milk

Most stall owners also have variations on the plain version. You could add ginger for teh halia (ginger tea), or you could add spices like cloves, cinnamon and cardamom for the south Asian masala tea.

I start every morning with a cheat’s version of masala tea. I add a pinch of ground cardamom and some freshly grated ginger to a huge mug for a fab way to start my day.

What Tea is used for Teh Tarik?

Basically, any strong black tea. When we were young, we used to get our tea from the “mamak” shops – Indian grocers, basically. They’d have all sorts of tea, and the most popular, if I recall was Boh Tea, grown in the Cameron Highlands, in Malaysia.

The Indian tea of choice was this tea that was called Ceylon tea, but it’s nothing like the insipid Ceylon tea sold here in the UK.

That Ceylon tea was a deep orange colour, and had a strong, sharp flavour with a strong tannin presence. Very aromatic too.

Whatever you can find is good as long as it’s strong. It has to be to hold its own against the thick and sweet condensed milk.

Nostalgic Drink

I grew up in a non drinking family, so tea was always, and still is, the drink of choice. Not unlike here in the UK, everyone goes “cup of tea?”.

My granddad used to break a handful of Jacob’s plain crackers and drop them into his tea – teh tarik or not – letting them soak, then eating them with a spoon! Lol, sounds gross, doesn’t it?

And that’s exactly what my kids say when they find me indulging in this nostalgic exercise! Come on, it’s just like dunking your biscuits, except that these ones are getting a soak while they’re at it!

You don’t dunk your biscuits? 😯

done “professionally”, that froth is much, much higher!

Hawker Centres and Kopi Tiams

So hawker centres are a group of food and drink stalls selling all manner of cooked food and drinks. These can be indoors or outdoors.

In the old days (totally sound like my father-in-law), they were nothing fancy, just selling honest to goodness, real, local food. And that would include Malay, Chinese and Indian. If you were lucky enough, they would also have Nyonya and Eurasian fare.

Kopi Tiams are, basically, coffee shops. The word itself is a mish mash of 2 local languages.

  • kopi = coffee in Malay
  • tiam = food stall in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect

Now the reason I mention these, is because, that’s where you’ll find teh tarik, perhaps less so in kopi tiams, because they tend to be run by the Chinese.

Other Hot Drinks in Hawker Centres and Kopi Tiams

So besides teh tarik, you can find so many different types of tea and coffee in these places. They can be iced, with no sugar, with extra sugar, with just evaporated milk, and so on.

Here are some terms, in a combination of Hokkien and Malay, should you find yourself in a kopi tiam:

  • Teh Halia – ginger tea
  • Tarik Halia – ginger teh tarik
  • Teh “O” – black tea
  • Teh Pua Siow – warm tea
  • Teh Peng – iced tea
  • Teh C – tea made with only evaporated milk
  • Teh Kosong – tea with no sugar (kosong means empty in Malay)
  • Teh Pok = light tea
  • Teh Kow = strong tea
  • Teh Dapao = tea to take away
  • Teh Tarik Kow Kow Peng Kurang Manis – very, very strong iced teh tarik but not as sweet (kurang manis means less sugar in Malay)

And a few more that I can’t remember or just plain don’t know!

Right then, let’s get brewing!

♥ If you like the recipe, I would love to hear from you. And don’t forget that 5-star rating below! Thank you! 

If you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood.

Lin xx

teh tarik in a glass, milky tea

Teh Tarik

Azlin Bloor
A milky, frothy tea, popularly sold at hawker centres in Singapore and Malaysia.
4.98 from 34 votes
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 2 minutes
Brewing Time 4 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Malaysian, Singaporean
Servings 1
Calories 149 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 small jugs or large mugs to brew, then "stretch" your tea
  • strainer
  • mug or cup for your tea

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 heaped tsp black tea leaves 3 tea bags (tea bags are lighter)
  • 250 ml boiling water
  • 2 Tbsp condensed milk
  • 1 Tbsp evaporated milk optional

Instructions
 

  • Pour the boiling water onto the tea leaves and leave to steep for 4 minutes.
  • Strain and stir in the condensed milk and evaporated milk, if using.
  • Give your first jug a quick water rinse. Then, pour the tea from one jug to another and back again. Put as much distance between the 2 jugs as you dare. Repeat this until you have some froth. Do it over the sink, because I’m sure some of it will spill!
  • Finally, pour into a clean mug or cup, and enjoy!

Video

Teh Tarik from my Kitchen!

Nutrition

Serving: 300mlCalories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 67mgPotassium: 195mgSugar: 23gVitamin A: 143IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 153mgIron: 1mg
Keyword drinks, tea
Tried this recipe?Mention @azlinbloor or tag #linsfood!
Made it? Upload your Photos!Mention @azlinbloor or tag #linsfood!

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10 thoughts on “Teh Tarik (Delicious Frothy, Milky Tea)”

  1. I finally got it right thanks to your recipe! The taste is just like I remember it from my visits to Malaysia and Singapore.

  2. 5 stars
    Just saw the video on your YouTube channel. We loooooved it!!! We like how spontaneous you are in front of the camera and how you didn’t care about the mess!
    We wanted to read more about the Teh Tarik and this post is simply amazing! All this info! We will try the tea very soon, since Panos loved it the minute he saw the video 🙂 Dear friend you did an amazing job in this new food blog you created. You have our deepest respect. Kudos!!!
    Greetings from Greece
    xoxo Mirella & Panos

  3. 5 stars
    Cheers! Made it this evening, it was delicious, never had tea with condensed milk before. You video was hilarious!

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