Imagine drinking bubble milk tea (boba tea) and eating the brown sugar boba pearls in a form of agar agar mooncake.
Bubble tea or also known as boba tea, has been all the craze for the past few years. I see long queue at any shop that sells boba tea. Not only Asians drink boba tea nowadays, but many of my American friends love boba tea too. The soft, chewy and bouncy little round balls are what boba pearls / tapioca pearls are all about. They are made with tapioca flour and it used to come in just one color, which is black, but nowadays, you can find them in any shade of color and flavor you can imagine.
Needless to say, any dessert or drink featuring boba pearls are also on the rise. I’m one, guilty for that. This easy boba tea agar agar mooncake is one of the examples I’ve made. They are easy to make.
The recipe rundown
1. Taste: lightly sweetened with the nice aroma from the tea, it’s like drinking a milk tea
2. Texture: The firm agar agar texture with the soft and chewy boba pearls go together pretty well I must say
3. Pros: This is so easy to make and perfect to celebrate the Chinese mooncake festival
4. Cons : The boba pearls will harden the longer you put them in the fridge. So, you want to make them in small batch and consume them on the same day you make them is the best
How to make easy boba tea agar agar mooncake
1. Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add 4 tea bags and let them steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze out liquid from tea bags and discard the tea bags
2. Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Add boba pearls and cook for 15 minutes over low heat and then turn off the heat and cover. Let them sit for 30 minutes. We overcook the boba pearls here a bit more than usual so that they won’t be hard when you refrigerate your agar agar mooncake in the fridge to set. I used this black sugar tapioca pearls.
3. Put 100 ml water and brown sugar in a saucepan. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat
4. Add the cooked boba pearls into the syrup and let them simmer over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Remove and let them cool down
5. Add 400 ml of milk to the milk tea you prepare earlier. Add sugar and agar agar powder. Stir to combine. It helps if you let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes. Turn on the heat and let it comes to a gentle boil and cook until the agar agar dissolves. This is important. If the agar agar isn’t dissolved, your cake won’t set properly. You shouldn’t see anymore specks in the mixture
6. Fill up the mould about 1/2 way
7. Then add some boba pearls, don’t scoop the syrup, just the pearls
8. Top up with more agar agar mixture until almost full
9. Let them set at room temperature for about 10 minutes. They won’t be fully set yet. Gently transfer to a fridge to let them fully set, it may take about 1 hour or so. Gently push it out of the mould onto a serving platter and serve
Important tips
1. Make sure the agar agar really dissolves when you cook it or the agar agar cake won’t set properly
2. I won’t suggest making in big batch as the boba pearls will harden if you keep in the fridge overnight. It is best to consume on the same day
Did you make this Easy Boba Tea Agar Agar Mooncake recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Recipe is adapted from here with slight modifications.
Easy Boba Tea Agar Agar Mooncake
Ingredients
Brown sugar boba pearls:
- 600 ml water
- 80 gr boba pearls
- 100 ml water
- 60 gr brown sugar
Milk tea:
- 4 sachets black tea bags
- 600 ml water
Agar agar jelly:
- 400 ml milk
- 120 gr granulated sugar
- 10 gr agar agar powder
Instructions
Prepare the tea:
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add 4 tea bags and let them steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze out liquid from tea bags and discard the tea bags
Prepare brown sugar boba pearls:
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Add boba pearls and cook for 15 minutes over low heat and then turn off the heat and cover. Let them sit for 30 minutes. We overcook the boba pearls here a bit more than usual so that they won't be hard when you refrigerate your agar agar mooncake in the fridge to set
- Put 100 ml water and brown sugar in a saucepan. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the cooked boba pearls into the syrup and let them simmer over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Remove and let them cool down
Prepare agar agar mooncake:
- Add 400 ml of milk to the milk tea you prepare earlier. Add sugar and agar agar powder. Stir to combine. It helps if you let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes. Turn on the heat and let it comes to a gentle boil and cook until the agar agar dissolves. This is important. If the agar agar isn't dissolved, your cake won't set properly. You shouldn't see anymore specks in the mixture
Assembling:
- Fill up the mould about 1/2 way and then add some boba pearls, don't scoop the syrup, just the pearls. Top up with more agar agar mixture until almost full
- Let them set at room temperature for about 10 minutes. They won't be fully set yet. Gently transfer to a fridge to let them fully set, it may take about 1 hour or so
Serving: (best served the same day)
- Gently push it out of the mould onto a serving platter and serve
- The only thing about this bubble tea mooncake is that they are best consumed on the same day. If you refrigerate it for more than 24 hours, the boba pearls tend to harden in the fridge. Cooking the boba pearls longer does help to make them not harden that quickly. So this is not something you want to make in a big batch
