flipSalted Manchu Milk Tea
Salted Manchu Milk Tea
Why this dish? As a Manchu of the Qing dynasty, Ci'an drank milk tea according to the customs of her people, inherited from the northern steppes. This hot, comforting beverage punctuated the mornings of the imperial household, faithful to Manchu culinary traditions.
A robust black tea whisked with milk and a pinch of salt, sometimes enriched with a little butter: the nomadic drink of the Manchus, become a court morning ritual.
We Manchus do not forget where our fathers came from, beyond the Great Wall. This tea is not sweet as they like it in the south: we want it salty, burning hot, whisked with milk until it foams. In the morning, before the memorials await me, a steaming bowl is presented; it warms the belly and clears the mind for the long day. Taste it without grimacing — the custom of the steppes is as worthy as that of the gardens.
- •Compressed black tea (tea brick) — a piece (infused base)
- •Milk (cow's) — equal parts (roundness)
- •Salt — a pinch (characteristic seasoning)
- •Clarified butter — a little (optional) (steppe richness)
Salted Manchu Milk Tea
A robust black tea whisked with milk and a pinch of salt, sometimes enriched with a little butter: the nomadic drink of the Manchus, become a court morning ritual.
Why this dish? As a Manchu of the Qing dynasty, Ci'an drank milk tea according to the customs of her people, inherited from the northern steppes. This hot, comforting beverage punctuated the mornings of the imperial household, faithful to Manchu culinary traditions.
We Manchus do not forget where our fathers came from, beyond the Great Wall. This tea is not sweet as they like it in the south: we want it salty, burning hot, whisked with milk until it foams. In the morning, before the memorials await me, a steaming bowl is presented; it warms the belly and clears the mind for the long day. Taste it without grimacing — the custom of the steppes is as worthy as that of the gardens.
Ingredients (period version)
- Compressed black tea (tea brick) — a piece (infused base)
- Milk (cow's) — equal parts (roundness)
- Salt — a pinch (characteristic seasoning)
- Clarified butter — a little (optional) (steppe richness)
Ingredients
- Strong black tea (pu'er or assam) — 2 tsp (infusion)
- Water — 250 ml (infusion)
- Whole milk — 200 ml (creaminess)
- Salt — 1 small pinch (salty signature)
- Butter (optional) — a knob (richness)
Method
- Infuse the black tea in simmering water for 5 minutes to obtain a strong decoction.
- Add the milk and gently bring to a simmer, without boiling hard.
- Season with a small pinch of salt and, if desired, melt a knob of butter.
- Whisk or pour from one container to another several times to aerate and create foam.
- Serve very hot in a bowl.
How it was made : Salted milk tea descends from the traditions of steppe peoples (Mongol and Manchu) who compressed tea into bricks for transport. At the Qing court, these northern customs coexisted with Han tea refinement; tea and milk were boiled together rather than infused in the Western style.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a rustic stoneware tea bowl with a thin layer of foam, a "steppe chic" version.
Ci'an · Charactorium
