Ingredients
The tea
- 6 tablespoonsstrong black tea
- a CTC or dust grade
- 1 litrewater
The milk
- 6 tablespoonssweetened condensed milk
- 6 tablespoonsevaporated milk
- or to taste
Alongside
- plain green tea
- served free and hot
- in a communal pot
To serve
- small glass cups
- a saucer under each
- at a teashop table
Directions
- Boil water in a large pot or kettle. Add a small amount of green tea leaves. Let it steep for a few minutes.
- Use far less leaf than for ordinary green tea. It should be pale and barely bitter. Keep the pot warm on the table. Top it up with hot water as it empties.
- Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Add the black tea leaves to it. Let it boil steadily throughout. Give it a good ten minutes there.
- Boil it longer if it is not dark enough. Pour it through a fine mesh sieve. Discard all of the spent leaves. It is lifted out when the tea is ready.
- Spoon condensed milk into each cup. Add evaporated milk to it as well. The hot tea is poured over it. Pour the hot strained tea over the milk. Pour it from a height if you can. Stir it well to finish mixing.
- Pour the mixed tea into a second vessel. Hold them well apart as you pour. Pour it back into the first vessel. Repeat that several times over. The tea is scalding hot when pulled.
- Reduce it if you want it less sweet. Serving it is done hot in small cups. Pour it into small glass cups. Set a saucer under each of them. Serve the pot of green tea alongside. That is done and is not thought rude. Make it fresh each and every time.
Technique
- Two teas sit on the table: the sweet milk tea is bought, and a weak plain green tea comes free and unlimited in a communal pot. That free tea is what lets one cup of milk tea buy hours at a table, which is what makes a teashop a meeting place rather than a shop.
- Teashops served as Myanmar’s main public meeting places for decades and political conversation happened in them; under military rule that carried real risk, teashops were watched and informed upon, and people spoke carefully for that reason. The atlas records that rather than passing over it.
- Laphet is the fermented tea leaf and laphet thoke the salad made from it, while laphet yay is the drink, yay meaning water or liquid; they are related in name but quite different things.
Substitutions
- Any strong cheap CTC or dust grade black tea works, since delicate leaf is lost under the milk.
- The ratio of condensed to evaporated milk sets the sweetness, which teashops adjust per order.
Variations
- Regulars order by name: cho seint for less sweet, paw kya for weaker, kyauk padaung for strong.
- Some shops pull the tea between two vessels to aerate and foam it.
- Pouring tea into the saucer to cool it is done and is not thought rude.
History
Strong plain green tea served free at teashops beside sweet milk tea; teashops long served as Myanmar’s main public meeting places.
Frequently asked questions
What is Laphet Yay?
Laphet Yay is a drink from Myanmar: sweet, strong milk tea central to teashop culture. Strong plain green tea served free at teashops beside sweet milk tea; teashops long served as Myanmar’s main public meeting places.
How long does Laphet Yay take to make?
Laphet Yay takes 5 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Laphet Yay?
Yes, within limits. Any strong cheap CTC or dust grade black tea works, since delicate leaf is lost under the milk. The ratio of condensed to evaporated milk sets the sweetness, which teashops adjust per order.
What is the most important thing to get right in Laphet Yay?
Two teas sit on the table: the sweet milk tea is bought, and a weak plain green tea comes free and unlimited in a communal pot. That free tea is what lets one cup of milk tea buy hours at a table, which is what makes a teashop a meeting place rather than a shop.
