Mango-Coconut Bubble Tea

Ingredients

1 package tapioca pearls (made for bubble tea)

Thai red tea OR regular black or orange pekoe tea

1 cup ripe mango (OR substitute 2-3 c. frozen mango)

natural syrup, such as maple syrup (OR substitute sugar)

2 cans coconut milk (1 can will serve 2 people)

crushed ice or ice cubes

Preparation

Make 2-3 cups of strong tea (each person will need 1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on how big your bubble tea serving size is). Place the pot of tea in the refrigerator to cool and steep.

Make sure your mango is ripe (you should be able to easily indent it with your thumb). Holding it on a cutting board, slice the mango twice, once on either side of the stone (the pit or stone is in the middle of the mango, and is wide and flat).

Using a tablespoon, scoop out the fruit from the 2 main sections and place in your food processor or blender. If you peel the skin off from around the stone, you can also add the fruit that surrounds the stone.

Add 1/3 cup water plus 2-3 Tbsp. syrup to the mango. Then process or blend well to make a sweet mango syrup (sauce).

Bring a pot of water to boil. For every cup of tapioca pearls, you should use at least 6 cups of water. For a serving of 2-4 people, use 4 cups water. When the water is boiling, slowly add 1/2 cup tapioca pearls (if you add them too quickly, they may stick together). Stir well. The tapioca pearls will drop to the bottom of the pot.

Boil for 20 minutes, then cover and allow the tapioca pearls to sit in the hot water for another 10-20 minutes, or until you're happy with their chewiness. Tapioca pearls will rise to the surface as they cook.

Drain the tapioca pearls and place in a bowl. Pour some syrup over - enough to prevent them from sticking together (about 1/4 cup).

If you like your bubble tea with bubbles (frothy), place the following together in a shaker and shake it up: 1/4 cup of tea, 1/4 cup of the mango syrup, 1/3 to 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup tapioca pearls, extra syrup or sugar to sweenten your bubble tea, according to your preference, some crushed ice (or ice cubes). Pour into a cup.