Teh Tarik Recipe, Sweet Malaysian Pulled Tea

Teh tarik is a sweet milk tea made from black tea and condensed milk that's aerated to create a light and frothy texture. It's a popular drink you'll find in Malaysia and Singapore.

The word 'tarik' means 'pulled' and refers to "pulling" the tea by pouring it from high above. This signature move mixes the beverage while also aerating it. 

Our recipe will show you how to prepare this quintessential Southeast Asian sweet drink. Our homemade recipe has just the right amount of sweetness without being too sweet. We also included variations in the notes for a less sweet yet creamier version if you prefer.

And if you want, we'll even show you how to "pull" this drink at home. 

Jump to:

• Teh Tarik Ingredients
• Teh Tarik Recipe
• Difference Between Teh Tarik And Milk Tea
• Calorie and Alternatives
• Drink Variations

Teh Tarik Ingredients

Here are the Teh Tarik ingredients you'll need.

• Black tea (preferably Ceylon)
• 1 cup (250 ml) hot water plus a bit extra
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Warm salt water or a pinch of salt
• Evaporated milk (optional)

Black Tea

We use Ceylon, the type of loose leaf used in classic Teh Tarik recipes in Malaysia and Singapore. You can use three bags instead of three teaspoon of loose leaves if it's more convenient. If you can't find it, you can use Assam or English Breakfast, but the taste will differ slightly.

Some recipes will ask you to brew the tea leaves or tea bags in hot water for a few minutes in a mug or French press. This will not be enough to extract the full flavours of Ceylon. The tea base will become lacklustre and not robust enough to make teh tarik.

The image above shows Ceylon tea brewed in hot water using a French press. The colour isn't right, and the taste isn't either.

Therefore, brewing the leaves in boiling water over a stove is best to create a rich and bitter tea base that balances well when combined with condensed milk.

Salt

Adding salt to Teh Tarik enhances the flavours by helping to sharpen the drink's sweetness. You can add salt by soaking a small spoon in salted water or directly adding a pinch of salt.

Dissolve ½ teaspoon of salt in half a cup of hot water to make the salt water. Soak a teaspoon in the salt water and shake off the excess before stirring the drink later. We prefer using the salt water method to adding a pinch of salt directly. Adding salt directly can be too harsh and saline, especially for a small serving.

Difference Between Teh Tarik And Milk Tea

Many other Asian countries also serve a variety of tea with milk. But what makes this one so special? 

The tarik contains condensed milk instead of plain milk, making it a much creamier and richer drink. Additionally, the 'pulling' pouring preparation aerates the beverage and makes it light and frothy instead of dense and heavy.

We take note that this drink originated from Indian Muslim immigrants in Malaysia. They used to serve drinks outside rubber plantations post-World War II times. The original teh tarik recipe contained strong black tea and hot full-cream milk. 

However, modern preparations contain condensed milk instead. It is still enjoyed today and has become an integral part of the food culture of Malaysia and Singapore.

The sweetness can be adjusted and varies wildly according to the specific teh tarik recipe. Some hawker store owners will even add evaporated milk to their recipe to make it creamer. But unlike some milk teas, this popular beverage will always be at least somewhat sweet. This is due to the use of sweetened condensed milk. 

All these components unite and sing harmoniously to enhance this East Asian sweet tea preparation. From its humble beginnings as a simple beverage, this drink has evolved to become a social phenomenon.

If you have yet to try this drink, you definitely should, even if you don't (yet) know how to make teh tarik.

Calorie and Alternatives

The average teh tarik recipe contains 22 grams of sugar, which is quite hefty. In our recipe, there's approximately 10-12g of sugar. 

Although it's not the healthiest drink in Asia, we discovered that this beverage is relatively light on calories. This is in comparison to the more calories-hefty bubble tea drink.

If you are concerned about the sugar levels, we recommend you request it to be served 'kurang manis', which means 'less sugar' in the Malay language. 

Alternatively, you can go for a less sweet drink variation called "Teh C," which uses the same tea base but is sweetened using evaporated milk instead. Evaporated milk contains about a quarter of the sugar content in condensed milk. 

The drink is less sweet than teh tarik but creamier. To make Teh C at home, substitute the condensed milk with evaporated milk with a ratio of 1:1.

Drink Variations

Although the basic formula for this sweet 'pulled' tea remains the same, it inspires countless other kopitiam drinks. 

Some of these include Kopi Tarik or Teh Terapung. Kopi Tarik is coffee prepared in the "tarik" style using sweetened condensed milk. Meanwhile, Teh Terapung is a layered milk tea prepared using the same technique to prepare milk foam, create density differences, and attain a superbly stratified appearance. 

Despite all these differences, our basic recipe is still essential as it forms the basis for the other slightly more complicated preparations.

The simplicity of this drink is part of its appeal. Once you have mastered our basic teh tarik recipe, try making the variations below.

Teh Ais (Ice Tea) is one of Malaysia's standard cold drinks at kopitiams. Serve the teh tarik over ice in a transparent glass with a stem. For the most authentic experience, use a disposable plastic straw.

This drink is warm at the bottom but perfectly cold at the surface, thanks to the ice cubes. Yum.

To make Kopi Tarik (Iced Coffee), replace the cup of black tea with local black coffee. This preparation removes the coffee's harshness and makes it taste milder.

If you want a sweet treat, try making Teh Tarik Madu (Sweet Pulled Milk Tea with Honey). It's a version using honey as the sweetener.

We highly recommend you experiment with the pulling technique. Once you master it, you can easily prepare froth and milk foam for cafe-style beverages without using a frothing wand. The possibilities are virtually endless.

We hope our simple teh tarik recipe will become one of your go-to drinks. If you like this delicious traditional beverage, try our Thai iced tea recipe next to expand your culinary horizons.