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Lahpet yay (Burmese milk tea)
လက်ဖက်ရည်: thick, strong teashop tea sweetened with condensed and evaporated milk, ordered by how sweet and how strong
Yangon runs on lahpet yay. From before dawn, crowded teashops set out tiny plastic stools on the pavement, and the tea comes with mohinga, palata or a plate of samusa; people linger again at four in the afternoon to talk. The tea is a dark, very strong brew of cheap black leaf that has been boiled and kept hot in a kettle, mixed in the cup with condensed milk and evaporated milk. Regulars order in code: cho seint is sweet and creamy, kya seint is strong and less sweet, pawsein is the standard. It should be thick, silky, sweet, faintly smoky and bitter underneath. The common mistake is brewing it like ordinary tea: it ends up thin and the condensed milk just tastes of sugar. Boil the leaves hard and then let them stand so the liquor is almost black; the bitterness is needed to stand up to the milk. It is ready when the tea poured from height into the cup has a light froth and the colour of milk chocolate. It is strongly caffeinated, so not one for children or late evenings. Chef's tip: pour the finished tea between two jugs a few times to cool it slightly and give it the teashop froth.
- Total time
- 12 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 3 tbsp strong black tea leavesloose-leaf, broken or CTC
- 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milkmore for cho seint
- 4 tbsp evaporated milk
- 1 pinch salt (optional)rounds out the bitterness
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring the 1 ¾ cups water to a rolling boil in a small pan, add 3 tbsp strong black tea leaves and 1 pinch salt and boil hard for 3 minutes.
3 minStep 2: Take the pan off the heat, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes until the liquor is almost black and smells strongly of tea.
5 minStep 3: Put half the 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk and half the 4 tbsp evaporated milk in each cup (adjust: more condensed for sweeter, less for kya seint).
1 minStep 4: Strain the tea through a fine sieve or cloth into a jug, then pour it from a height into the cups and stir well, or pour between the jug and cup three times until there is a light froth and the colour is milk chocolate. Serve hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lahpet yay (Burmese milk tea) take?
- About 12 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sweetened condensed milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of evaporated milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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