Chai, Milk Tea, Karak, and Milaban have become widely popular beverages. Variations will have more or less fragrant spices, sweetness, and tea strength. Adani Yemeni tea is a type of milk tea that is very strong in spice. If you haven't tried my mild Milaban Yemeni tea with milk, check it out here. It has the perfect balance and pairs beautifully with so many sweets.
Given that we are stuck at home for the majority of COVID summer 2020, we decided to treat ourselves to the Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment (this post is not sponsored).
After trying 6 different flavors, I decided to get creative and try making this incredible Milaban tea flavored ice cream. I'm glad I had the courage to try it, because it tastes EXACTLY just like the tea drink! It was delicious as a soft-serve as well as the classic ice cream consistency.
This recipe makes 6 to 8 standard sized scoops. The Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment can accommodate double the recipe if you would like to make a larger quantity.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup half and half كريمة خفيفة
4 egg yolks صفار البيض
1/2 cup white sugar سكر أبيض
1 1/4 cup heavy cream كريمة ثقيلة
2 tablespoons loose black tea (I used the Al Kabous tea) شاي أسود
3 large cinnamon sticks عيدان قرفة
8 - 10 cardamom pods حبات هيل
5 - 6 cloves حبات زر
Pinch of salt نتفة ملح
Directions:
Day 1
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the half and half until very hot but not boiling, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, and use an electric mixer to whip until it slightly thickened and pale yellow. Pause halfway through and scrap the sides of the bowl to make sure all the egg yolks incorporate evenly.
Add the hot half and half to the egg mixture very gradually and mix continuously until blended.
Return the mixture back into the saucepan and place over very low heat.
Add your spices (cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves) and mix continuously for 3 minutes and the mixture starts to froth up.
Add the loose black tea and mix in for 3 - 5 minutes until the cream is a golden color and the edges begin to simmer gently. Do NOT boil.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl with a sieve over it to catch the tea and spices.
Add heavy cream to the mixture and combine thoroughly.
Run the mixture through a sieve on more time to ensure there are no tea bits left over. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Overnight is best to allow the flavors to develop.
Place ice cream bowl attachment in the freezer. It needs to be frozen for at least 12 hours before using.
Day 2
Hook up your ice cream bowl attachment to your Kitchen Aid stand mixer following the manual's instructions.
Turn to STIR (speed 1) and pour in the ice cream mixture. Continue stiring on the same speed for 20-25 minutes or until desired consistency.
Immediately serve into serving dishes to enjoy as soft-serve ice cream. Otherwise, transfer to a container and freeze for 6 to 8 hours for a thicker scoop-able consistency.
Tips:
If you like a stronger spice flavor, double the amount of whole spices. You can also use ground spices instead. If you only have ground spices but want a mild flavor, start with half the noted quantities and build your way up by tasting the half and half mixture and adjust as needed.
Loose tea is stronger than some bagged teas, so you may need to use double the amount of tea bags if you do not have loose black tea.
Do not let the tea stay in the mixture too long or else you risk your ice cream tasting bitter.
Your ice cream will last in the freezer up to 5-8 days. It can be scooped easily the first 24-48 hours but will need to thaw for 3 - 5 minutes before scooping the next few days after that.
Serve with crushed tea biscuits or crushed pistachios.