Teh Tarek

Teh Tarek
Originally uploaded by FatTireTribe:aannuar

There are Starbucks, and there are the Indian-muslim street stalled outlets. As for me, whenever I return to Malaysia, you'll never catch me sipping coffee at any of the Starbucks franchise in KL. As soon as I'm in town-it'll be those street stalled outlets that I'd go to have my teh-tarik and nasi-lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk mixed w/ sambal anchovies, and sliced cucumber). Many of the times, I'd go for nasi-lemak wrapped in banana-leaf and newspaper (an age-old practice and eco-friendly).

One could say that teh tarek happens to be the national drink of Malaysia and has its origins from the Indian styled tea, i.e., Chai. Literally translated into English, Teh Tarek means Pulled Tea where the ingredients consists of locally grown tea (BOH tea being the most preferred), and gobs and gobs of condense milk. The tea can be varied with herb or spices depending on one's taste bud, even exotic. There are the garlic or ginger flavored and there's the exotic version of a "sexual enhancement" or power/energy drink by including Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack).

There is Art to preparing teh tarek, and a reason to this too. Like the froth over the capuchinno coffee, the tea is prepared by pouring pipping hot tea from one steeled cup into another. The experts at this will pour or literally "pull" the tea from one cup to the other, without spilling. The higher the pull the thicker the froth.

For a culinary chef, there's the art in the making and presenting the food; but in the case of the tea tarek, it's visually entertaining, and to see the laws of physics at play.

And at the very end of this "juggling" act - a very hot, sweet and frothy tea is served.