Thai tea ice cream

I love Thai iced tea. One time after ordering in pad thai (and tea, naturally), I poured my tea into my ice cream maker as an experiment. Sadly, the ice and water made the end product too crunchy. For these two flavor variations, I steeped the tea in the warming milk and cream, the same way I make earl grey ice cream.


Thai tea (also known as Thai iced tea) or "cha-yen" (Thai: ชาเย็น) in Thailand, is a drink made from strongly-brewed black tea. Other ingredients may include added orange blossom water, star anise, crushed tamarind seed or red and yellow food coloring, and sometimes other spices as well.



I also like bubble tea and the texture of mini-tapioca balls. I made two batches of Thai tea ice cream: one with candied ginger, and one with tapioca. I love that the tapioca made each scoop of ice cream look like the translucent blue and white bowls used in some Chinese restaurants.


I learned that tapioca doesn't have a great frozen texture, but as the ice cream melts in your mouth, it is as fun to eat as it would be in any pudding or soup.