Royal Milk Tea Boba with Salted Cream Cheese Foam

Method

1. Start with the royal milk tea so it can chill. In a 16 cm pot bring the water to the boil on high heat, add the tea leaves and boil for 1 min so they unfurl. Pour in the milk, lower to medium-low heat and heat for 4 min, stopping when tiny bubbles form at the edge and it steams. If it boils it forms a skin and tastes flat. Strain, pressing the leaves hard, cool over ice water and refrigerate.

   Add in this stepWater to open the tea leaves 100 mlLoose Assam tea 12 gWhole milk 460 ml

   high heat→medium-low heat

2. Put the dough sugar and water in a 14 cm small pot, bring to the boil on medium heat and let it bubble for 1 min. Lower to low heat, add a third of the tapioca starch and stir fast with a spatula into a sticky, translucent paste.

   Add in this stepDark brown sugar (for the dough) 15 gWater (for the dough) 35 mlTapioca starch 18 g

   medium heat→low heat

3. Turn off the heat, add the rest of the starch and mix with the spatula; once you can handle it, knead for 4 min into a smooth dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Add a few drops of hot water if it cracks, a little starch if it is sticky.

   Add in this stepTapioca starch 42 g

4. Roll the dough into ropes 0.8 cm thick, cut into 0.8 cm pieces and roll into balls. Slightly smaller pearls, as tea shops make them, soak up the syrup all the way through and stay springy. You will get about ~100; it takes around 17 min. Dust them with starch and keep covered.

   Add in this stepTapioca starch for dusting 2 tsp

5. Bring 1.5 L of water to a rolling boil in a large pot on high heat, add the pearls and stir at once. When they float, half-cover and cook on medium heat for 18 min, then turn off the heat, cover and leave for 10 min. When there is no white core left, rinse them quickly in cold water.

   high heat→medium heat

6. In a 18 cm pan melt the syrup sugar in the water on medium-low heat, add the pearls and reduce slowly for 6 min. Turn off the heat when the bubbles turn small and tight and the syrup coats the back of a spoon. Don't reduce it further, or it will set hard as it cools.

   Add in this stepDark brown sugar (for the syrup) 55 gWater (for the syrup) 50 ml

   medium-low heat

7. Make the cream cheese foam: whisk the room-temperature cream cheese with the sugar and salt until there are no lumps, then add the cold cream a little at a time and whisk for 2 min. Stop when it flows slowly, like melting ice cream; if it holds peaks, it is over-whipped.

   Add in this stepCream cheese, at room temperature 40 gSugar 2 tspFlaky sea salt 1 pinchCold heavy cream 100 ml

8. Swirl some pearl syrup around the inside of each glass, add the pearls and fill with ice. Pour in the cold royal milk tea to 2 cm below the rim, then pour the foam slowly over the back of a spoon to build a thick layer. Take the first sips straight from the glass, without a straw, so you get foam and tea together.

   Add in this stepIce cubes 160 g