Brown Sugar Boba (Bubble Tea)

Directions

1. Make the Milk Tea: In a pot, combine the milk, brown sugar, and tea leaves. Heat until the milk starts to steam. Let the tea leaves steep in the hot milk for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain out the tea leaves. When the milk tea is cool enough, transfer to a jug or bottle and keep in the refrigerator until cold.
2. Make the Tapioca Dough: Sift the tapioca starch and make sure no large lumps remain. Pour the water and sugar into a small pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir and melt the sugar. Reduce the heat to low, then dump the tapioca starch into the pot all at once. Using a firm spatula, stir until evenly mixed and a sticky brown dough forms. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning, for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface and split it into 2 or 3 roughly equal portions. This is just to make it easier to work with. The dough will be a little sticky to start with, but should get easier to handle as it cools slightly. (If it’s still super sticky, knead in a tablespoon or two of fresh tapioca starch.) Take one of the dough portions and cover the rest with a cloth or kitchen towel to prevent from drying out. Roll out the dough to a long string, roughly ¼ inch thick. Using a bench scraper, cut the string into ¼-inch pieces. Roll each piece in between the palms of your hands and shape into little spherical balls. After you roll each ball, dust in some tapioca starch to prevent sticking. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Cook the Pearls: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tapioca pearls and keep the water on a rolling boil for 20 minutes, until the pearls are cooked through. Stir vigorously in the beginning to prevent the pearls from sticking, but once they start to float, you only need to stir the pot once every few minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and firm up slightly.
5. Braise the Pearls: In a small pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Add the chilled tapioca pearls, reduce the heat, and bring to a slow simmer. Let the pearls braise for 20 to 25 minutes, until the braising liquid turns thick and syrupy. Keep warm.
6. To serve, tilt the glass or cup at a 45° angle and place the tapioca pearls close to the lip of the glass, letting them slide down to the base. Repeat this on all sides to get a trippy, tiger stripe-like ripple effect, then add the ice cubes and milk tea. It’s best to drink with a straw so you can get at the pearls as you drink the tea.