MAKES 3–4 SERVINGS
Pantry Essential: PLANT-BASED MILK
My son, Sid, is half-Mongolian. Because that half doesn’t come from me, I wanted to make sure to educate myself by researching his heritage and include some Mongolian traditions in our home. And of course, I started with the food.
What I learned was that because of Mongolia’s location and climate, meat and dairy make up most of the region’s diet. We’re talking lots of meat and dairy. And meat and dairy recipes that I couldn’t quite figure out how to adapt and make plant-based . . . until I found this tea!
Traditionally suutei tsai is made with dairy milk, but almond milk is an easy swap.
The coolest part about this tea is the salt. Yes, salt. Salted tea might be a little shocking to your palate at first, but after you get the amount just right, it’s hard to go back to regular ol’ tea. I left the salt quantity pretty open (in Mongolia they use a lot). Play around with it and see what you like.
3 cups water
3 cups unsweetened almond or rice milk
2 tea bags green or black tea, string and tags removed
½–1 teaspoon sea salt
In a medium pot, bring the water, milk, tea, and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags with a spoon. Add more salt if needed. Serve.
KITCHEN NOTES: Toasted millet is oftentimes added to suutei tsai. If you want to add it, toast ¼ to ⅓ cup millet with a little coconut oil in a hot pan and then add it to your simmering tea. Let the tea simmer for an extra 10 minutes, or until the millet has softened.
TASTERS TELL ALL . . .
“I chilled the leftover milk tea and used it to make overnight oats. I added some sweetener, ground chia seeds, cinnamon, and almond butter, and it was delicious.”