← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 80 g gula melaka (palm sugar), chopped
• 60 ml Water
• 1 Pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
• 3 tbsp strong black tea leaves or tea dust (Boh or Ceylon)
• 300 ml boiling water
• 160 ml Evaporated milk, chilled
• plenty of ice cubes

Method

1. Simmer the palm sugar, water and pandan over low heat for 3–4 min until the sugar dissolves and turns syrupy. Strain and cool completely.
2. Steep the tea in the boiling water for 5 min, then strain. Let it cool to room temperature so it does not melt the ice.
3. Pour 2–3 tbsp of syrup into each tall glass and fill to the top with ice.
4. Pour the evaporated milk slowly over the back of a spoon, letting it settle on top of the syrup.
5. Finally, pour the tea very slowly over the spoon so it floats on the milk in a dark third layer. Admire, then stir everything together before drinking.

Tips

• Cold, dense syrup and slow pouring are the secret to clean layers; lots of ice helps hold them apart.
• Contains dairy. Some Kuching stalls swap the syrup for green pandan syrup or add a layer of cincau.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Noob Cook Wandercooks