Gula Melaka Bubble Tea

For my bubble tea recipe, I like to use Gula Melaka. It is a kind of palm sugar made in Melaka (Malaysia). You can purchase it at most asian stores/ markets. You can easily replace this with dark Muscovado sugar or Gula Jawa (made in Indonesia).

I also find it much easier to use store-bought Boba. Whilst making the Boba yourself is lots of fun, it is very messy and time-consuming. Boba balls are made from tapioca starch. This is very messy and it is very easy to get the balls wrong.

Ingredients:

1. 100 gula melaka (shaved)

2. 100 mL water

3. Tapioca pearls/boba (prepare as much as you need depending on number of people)

4. Milk (also depends on number of people)

Method:

1. Prepare your pearls following the instructions on your packet. If you aren't sure how much to make, start with 1/2 cup pearls per person and you can add/reduce that amount to suit your requirements.

2. Bring the water and gula melaka to a boil in a saucepan.

3. Add into this mixture, the pearls and until the sauce has reduced to a sticky syrup.

4. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. When you are ready to assemble, spoon the pearls into a jar. Add some milk to the jar and if you would like, add ice. If you don't have a Boba straw, you can enjoy it with a spoon ( I am not quite sure where you would get Boba straws from but you can probably find it online).