Ingredients
Tea
- 2 black tea bags (or 2 teaspoons loose leaf black tea)
- 300 g boiling water
Sweet Potato Pearls
- 1 small sweet potato (or 100 g sweet potato purée)
- 2 tablespoons glutinous rice flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 30 g brown sugar
Whipped Cream Topping
- 150 g whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Steep the Tea: Place the black tea bags or loose leaf black tea into 300 g of boiling water. Steep for 5-10 minutes to extract full flavor. Remove the tea and chill it in the refrigerator while preparing the other components.
- Cook Sweet Potatoes: Peel and chop the sweet potato into medium chunks. Place them in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the lid and continue boiling uncovered for about 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork.
- Mash Sweet Potatoes: Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and mash them using a fork until they form a smooth paste. Measure out 100 g of this mashed sweet potato into a small bowl.
- Make Sweet Potato Dough: Add 2 tablespoons each of glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch to the mashed sweet potato. Mix with a spoon, then knead by hand until a soft dough forms. The dough should be pliable and not overly sticky; add a little more tapioca starch if necessary.
- Form Tapioca Pearls: Dust a small bowl and your hands with tapioca starch to prevent sticking. Pinch off small portions of dough and roll into small balls with your fingers. Place the rolled pearls in the dusted bowl, swirling occasionally to coat them evenly and prevent clumping.
- Boil the Pearls: Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a small pot. Add the tapioca pearls and stir immediately to prevent sticking.
- Cook Pearls: Boil the pearls for approximately 5 minutes, or until they float to the water’s surface indicating they are cooked through.
- Syrup Soak: Drain the cooked pearls and transfer them to a bowl containing brown sugar and a few tablespoons of cold water or ice cubes. Stir to coat the pearls and allow them to soak in the syrup, keeping them from sticking while adding sweetness.
- Prepare Whipped Cream: In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the whipping cream, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon. Seal and shake vigorously for about one minute until the cream thickens to a pourable consistency.
- Assemble the Bubble Tea: In each glass, add approximately 100 g of sweet potato pearls. Fill the glass 3/4 full with ice. Pour 150 g of chilled black tea over the ice and top with about 70 g of the cinnamon whipped cream. Stir gently before serving with a boba straw.
Notes
- Use chilled black tea for best refreshing flavor contrast with the warm sweet potato pearls.
- If the dough is too sticky, adding extra tapioca starch helps achieve the right consistency to roll pearls.
- The cooked pearls should be served soon after cooking, as they can harden if left out too long.
- Adjust the sweetness of the whipped cream and syrup to your taste preference.
- For a vegan version, substitute whipping cream with a plant-based cream alternative.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
