One day, we decided to go to HMart for some nori, shirataki, and a few other things. We like to wander through the store to see what else we might want to try. We bought some lychee drink, and also a can of thai tea. I had some thai tea years ago, and really liked it. It was actually what they call “bubble tea”, made with the thai tea. The “bubbles” are very large tapioca pearls, sometimes called boba. I had only had bubble tea once, many years ago. I decided it was time to take my children. I found a place somewhat nearby, and planned to surprise my kids that weekend.
That Saturday, I told two of my children we were going to go for a treat, but I wouldn’t tell them what. We drove to the little restaurant, and ordered our teas. They had several flavors, such as mango, lychee, watermelon, and strawberry. I decided to go with the thai tea. It was as yummy and fun as I had remembered, and it was a first time experience for my husband and children. They had all heard of bubble tea, but had never actually tried it before. They all really enjoyed the experience, and the tea was very tasty!
The following day, my daughter was back from college, and had a chance to go, so we went again. My other kids didn’t mind a chance to have more!
It was kind of expensive to buy so many in one weekend, and it was a bit of a drive. When we got home, we ordered some of the boba pearls so we could try making our own.
The order of boba came just a few days later and included the extra large straws that are needed to accommodate the size of the boba. We had heard that preparing the dried boba can be a little tricky and wouldn’t turn out well unless done correctly. I even read that following the directions on some packages might not work.
The weekend after our order arrived, my husband prepared the boba after finding good directions online. When preparing these large tapioca pearls, they need to be watched very carefully. The temperature and timing are very important, and once they’re done, they need to be stored in a sugar syrup that is easy to make. Once he finished the boba pearls, he made some Moroccan mint tea to accompany them. It was amazing!
Just a caveat – the sugar and carbs in bubble tea put it in the category of a dessert, so it’s not something that should be consumed very often. It’s something I recommend trying, though!
