You can't eat Thai food without something refreshing to wash it down! Here's the third component of our grain/dairy free Thai Takeout Night – Thai Iced Tea! Check out the Tom Kha Gai Soup and Yellow Curry with Prawns, and the final dish will be Pad See Ew.
My husband loves this Thai restaurant favorite. It's a sweet, full-bodied beverage that perfectly compliments the spice and salty flavors of Thai dishes. I had never tasted it before but when I told him I was working on this series, he asked if I could make a Paleo Thai Iced Tea to go along with it. So we went for a little field trip to our favorite local Thai spot and ordered one of these ice cold drinks. It comes out full of ice and with a reddish orange tint. It's really sweet, but creamy at the same time from the cream they put at the top. I read up on the drink when we got home and it seems that the majority of the Thai restaurants serve a very strongly brewed black tea that is colored with food coloring, then they mix in sweetened condensed milk and top it with half and half. No wonder my husband is wired when we get home from having Thai food combined with Thai Iced Tea!
I tested a few different black teas, and found that pure Assam tea has the closest flavor. It naturally has an orange hue so it looks a little like it too! You can add some natural food coloring if you're really going for the bright red color, but it's not really necessary. I made the tea strong by steeping extra bags and for triple the normal time. Coconut milk seems like the obvious half and half substitute to me since we're already consuming so much of the creamy treat with Thai!
Shared this week at Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Allergy Free Wednesdays
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Karen @ Goofy Can Cook
I see you list the cardamom pods but didn’t see them in the recipe? I’m assuming they steep with the tea bags and star anise?
Against All Grain
Oops! Yes you steep them with the tea. I’ll change it now!
Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry
I am featuring this refreshing tea this week on Allergy-Free Wednesdays!
Against All Grain
Thanks Laura!
Narmsai
I would like to add that most Thai tea made in the shop in our coutries used the “Thumb Hand” brand. I don’t know if it’s better than other brand (because I use only this brand!) but all my friends said that it’s better (and cheap too) Unfortuneatly I haven’t found any “Thumb Hand” brand selling oversea. (Amazon haven’t got it)
Eryn @ Pumpkin's Pantry
My husband and I go to an organic Thai restaurant when we get the chance for date nights. Being dairy-free Thai places are a good bet, but I was sad to learn a couple years ago that the Thai Iced Tea usually came with a good deal of conventional dairy products. Strange since there is little dairy in most thai cooking. So every time we go, I think “I need to come up with a thai iced tea recipe so I can have it again!” But I usually forget. So when I found your blog this recipe was the first one I looked at and I”m so eager to try! I hope this long comment conveys my excitement over this recipe 🙂
Against All Grain
lol thanks Eryn I sense your excitement! Most of the restaurants put condensed sweetened milk and cream in theirs!
Simon
One of my favorite iced teas, thanks for recipe
Lillian @ My My Recipe Journey
I had this at a Thai restaurant and loved it! I wish I had the star anise, cardamom and coconut milk! Maybe I can sub anise extract, Thai spices and coconut extract in regular milk? Do you think that would work?
Ashley
Could you please tell me which kind of coconut milk you used? Full fat or light? Canned or carton? Thanks! 🙂
Against All Grain
Full fat canned
Kay
Hi there! Thanks for posting this recipe! For me, it’s missing just a little bit of something hard to describe. The Thai Tea I’ve had locally has just a hint of smokiness. After doing a bit of Googling, I found that the most commonly known “smoky” tea is Lapsang Souchong. I made a second batch with 1/2 decaf Assam and 1/2 Lapsang, along with cardamom, anise, etc. It’s just a touch closer to the restaurant style I am familiar with. I wondered if you or any of your readers are familiar with the smoky flavor I am seeking and if the source is in fact Lapsang Souchong? Thanks again!!
Sarah
If you used a green cardamom pod, try using black instead. The black pods have a smokiness to them.
Tara
I use a bagged loose-leaf tea from the Asian market…I have no idea what’s in it, but it’s the real (RED) deal…can you use this tea in kombucha, do you think?? I’m going to try the tea with honey and coconut milk first, of course, but I would LOVE to see if this works for kombucha!
Against All Grain
I don’t know I’ve never made kombucha, sorry!
Christine
Thank you for this recipe! Star anise is easy to get… just need to get cardamom. There doesn’t seem to be an alternative to the already prepared Thai iced tea bags. All of them have food coloring.
Daphne
My canned coconut milk produced lumps in the tea. Hmm…suggestions?
Katii
I always blend my canned coconut milk in a blender or my magic bullet before using it as an ingredient.
Chuck Dalby
I spent a year in Thailand and this became one of my favorite drinks, you can even get it at 7 11 there. After gaining a few pounds I had to give them up, must of been all that sweetened condensed milk, go figure. I am excited to try out your recipe as my herbal honey sweet tea gets a little mundane after a while. Thanks for the recipe.
AD1210
I finally made this latte and it was wonderful! I am so glad that I took the time to cool the tea before making it into the drink. Very refreshing. 🙂
JLD
Hi….I like to try to use what I have on hand….would anise seed work also would ground cardamom work and if so any idea how much I would use? Thanks a bunch.
Ana@oasisoftaste
Very tasty drink. Thanks for sharing the recipe.