A Taiwanese friend of mine always wanted to start a bubble tea shop in one of those Asian Pacific cities (namely Seoul and Tokyo) and she was kind enough to share with me this recipe. Now what is the charm about bubble tea? Is it those pesky tapioca pearls, known as bubbles but is so fun to chew? Or maybe it is the introduction of funky flavours like Rock Salt and Cheese. ( Read about weird bubble tea flavours here ( http://www.makansutra.com/foodblog/?p=4097 ).

The taste of this own made Oolong Milk Bubble Tea comes with a strong milky flavour while the Oolong gives a mild woody aftertaste. A good point about this recipe is that it is very versatile. Feel free to add your own flavours and experiment with different teas. Who knows, you could be the next big bubble tea magnate?

Ingredients for Oolong Milk Bubble Tea (serves 4 cups)

4 tea bags 10 cups water 1 cup large tapioca pearls 3 tbsp white sugar 2 cups ice ¼ cup honey 1 ½ cups milk

· Boil two cups of water. Once it boils, remove it from the heat, add the tea bags and let them steep for about 30 minutes.

· While the tea steeps, bring the remaining 8 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Let the pearls boil for around 30 minutes

· Once the tapioca pearls cooked (they look entirely translucent), drain them in a colander and run cold running water over them until they are cool to the touch.

· Then place them in a bowl and add the honey (they are tasteless on its own). Stir until they are thoroughly coated. Let the pearls soak in the honey for 30 minutes.

· When the tea is done steeping, remove the bags and add the sugar, stirring until it dissolves completely. Pour the tea into a large pitcher and place it in the refrigerator to completely cool it while preparing the other ingredients.

· Once the refrigerated tea is cold, pour the milk in.

· Place about ¼ cup of pearls into the bottom of each cup.

· Add ½ cup of ice to each cup, then add the tea and milk mixture over.

· The drink is ready to serve.