Chapter 226 Pearl Milk Tea
Sang Yu came and left in a hurry. She declined Liu's invitation to keep her for dinner and took the father and son of the Sang family who were outside the door to buy food.
A little starch, some malt sugar, some loose tea and milk, a basket of wild pears from the mountain, and some vegetables and meat that were commonly eaten at home. The two empty baskets he brought with him were filled to the brim.
Somewhat confused as to why she bought so much starch and sugar, Sang Yongjing asked curiously, "Yu'er, what are you going to do with all this starch? We can't even finish it at home."
Generally, starch is only used for thickening or wrapping meat for frying. Two taels of it may not be used up in ten days or half a month. But Sang Yu bought ten kilograms at once today, and it will take him forever to eat it.
Sang Yu chuckled: "Hehe, of course it's not for eating directly, but for making a sweet drink called pearl milk tea."
It's not just starch. She remembers that people in later generations also used konjac to make milk tea condiments.
There is plenty of konjac in the mountains, and no one knows how to eat it except her. It is a zero-cost ingredient, so naturally it must be used well.
"Pearl...milk tea?" Sang Yongjing repeated the word, his face full of confusion. "I know what pearls are, and I know what milk and tea are, but why can't I understand when you put them together?"
Pearls are generally produced from clams in the sea. They are mostly white or golden in color and are the favorites of many wealthy young ladies in Beijing.
It must be used as decoration on hair accessories and clothes. I heard that it can also be ground into fine powder and applied on the face to make people's complexion white. It is very expensive.
But he had never heard of anyone eating the pearls directly, and they didn't buy them either.
"Oh, you'll know when I make it." Sang Yu originally wanted to explain to him the origin of the name of pearl milk tea, but then she thought it would be easier to understand if she saw it with her own eyes.
As soon as Sang Yu got home, she started preparing to make pearl milk tea. Milk tea is relatively easy to make, but the real trouble is making the pearls.
Add malt sugar and water in a ratio of four to five into the pot, boil over high heat until the sugar is completely melted, turn off the heat immediately when it boils, pour in starch, and stir quickly until there is no dry powder.
When it cools down a little and is no longer hot to the touch, you can take out the dough and knead it into a smooth dough, then roll it into thin strips, cut it into small pieces and roll it into balls.
The task of rolling the pearls was handed over to the Sang father and son, and Sang Yu began to stir-fry the milk tea base.
Place loose black tea and malt sugar in a cold pot at a ratio of 1:3 and simmer over low heat until caramelized. Once the large bubbles have transformed into dense, smaller ones, add boiling water and simmer for two minutes to bring out the tea's aroma.
At this time, you can pour the pure milk you bought into the pot. Generally, just boil it until it is slightly boiling, because modern milk is sterilized before leaving the factory.
However, in ancient times, where even the appearance of this kind of fungus was unknown, it had to be boiled before drinking. After boiling, turn off the heat and simmer for five minutes.
When the pearls are almost rubbed, put them in boiling water and cook until they float, then cover and cook for ten minutes, then turn off the heat and simmer for ten minutes.
Take out the pearls and rinse with cold water to increase their elasticity. Pour an appropriate amount of malt sugar into the pot, bring to a boil, then pour in the pearls and cook until thick. Stir constantly during the process to prevent the bottom from getting sticky.
Taking out the extra cleaned bamboo tubes at home, Sang Yu began to seriously assemble milk tea.
A large spoonful of pearls coated with bright crimson syrup is scooped into a bamboo tube, then filled with milk tea and paired with a reed straw, giving it a modern milk tea feel.
Looking at the green bamboo tube, Sang Yu was still a little dissatisfied.
The best thing about brown sugar pearl milk tea is the syrup clinging to the walls. It's a shame there were no clear plastic cups in those days. As for transparent glass, ordinary people couldn't even dream of owning one; I'm afraid even the imperial palace didn't have two.
"You've worked hard rolling the pearls, come and try the pearl milk tea."
Sang Yu brought a few bamboo tubes and distributed a cup to each family member.
Xie Qiujin held the bamboo tube in both hands, looking curiously at the liquid inside, which was completely different in color from ordinary white milk. She lowered her head slightly and sniffed it.
A sweet but not greasy smell with the aroma of tea and milk entered her nose, arousing her appetite.
She pinched the reed stem and took a small sip, and the light brown milk tea was sucked into her mouth along the hollow stem.
The first thing you feel on your tongue is the rich sweet aroma of malt sugar, with a slightly burnt feeling.
Then, the unique milky aroma of fresh milk will wrap up the sweetness and neutralize the greasy feeling brought by malt sugar.
The black tea has a light, barely noticeable astringency at the bottom, which is washed away by the sweetness of malt sugar before it leaves any trace in the mouth.
As the warm, even slightly scalding, milk tea enters my throat, a warm current flows into my stomach. The sweet aftertaste of the tea slowly emerges, and the milky aroma lingers on my tongue for a long time.
After drinking one sip, he wanted to take a second sip, but the reed in his hand seemed to be blocked by something and he couldn't suck it up.
Xie Qiujin took a big sip, and three or five small round balls slipped into her mouth.
The pearls soaked in syrup are covered with thick amber syrup, and there is only one feeling when you put them in your mouth - sweet.
But as you chew and break through the outer sugar coating, the soft and glutinous pearls inside just neutralize the sweetness, and the taste of everything is just right when combined with the milk tea.
Unlike her who was carefully savoring the flavor, Sang Yongjing was like a cow chewing a peony, holding a reed stalk in his mouth and sucking hard.
He drank one-third of the almost full cup of milk tea in just a few gulps. After swallowing it down with a loud gulp, he began to chew the pearls hidden in his cheeks.
While chewing, he sighed: "Yu'er, your pearl milk tea..." Chew, chew, chew, "It's really good" chew, chew, chew, "It tastes quite interesting" chew, chew, chew...
"...Dad, you should finish chewing before you talk."
Sang Yu really couldn't stand it. Who would drink milk tea first and then chew pearls? What's the difference between this and ordering a cup of pearl milk tea and then making a note to pack the toppings separately.
Fortunately, except for him, everyone else in the family was relatively gentle and refined. They held the bamboo tube and used the reed stem to drink and chew slowly in small sips.
After everyone had tasted it, Sang Yu asked, "What do you think of this pearl milk tea? Is there a market for it?"
Sang Xingjia was the first to respond: "Little sister, I think this... pearl milk tea. It's sweet but not greasy, and it's easy to hold and drink on the go. It should be quite popular with women."
What he said was absolutely correct. In later generations, whenever two girls went out shopping together, they would basically buy two cups of milk tea first and drink them while shopping.
"But...what exactly does this pearl mean?" He still couldn't figure out the origin of the name of pearl milk tea.
"Uh..." Sang Yu was stunned by his question. In fact, the name of pearl milk tea originally came from the bubbles formed when the milk tea was shaken, not the small pearls as it refers to now.
But no one knows the reason now, and Sang Yu has the exclusive right to interpret it.
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