Simple Stay-home Recipes: WP Nicole Seah’s Cranky-no-more Teh C Kosong

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 13
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With the current hype revolving around Singapore’s General Election 2020 (GE2020), it is inevitable that all of us in Singapore will be exposed to political rallies and news. As someone who keeps up with rallies and interviews of the candidates from all 11 parties, I must say that it is always a breath of fresh air when I come across a speech that is well prepared and eloquently delivered. There is no doubt that there lies a handful of candidates who make excellent public speakers, but one person in particular that caught my attention was none other than Workers’ Party golden girl, Nicole Seah.

In a recent video interview titled ‘Nicole at Home’ uploaded on her Facebook page, Nicole Seah openly shared her growth in the political scene and her view on Workers’ Party in the comforts of her home. Politics aside, what caught my attention was not only her passion in serving the nation but also the fact that she brews her daily cup of teh c kosong (tea with evaporated milk without sugar) using a tea sock. Yes, in a brown tea sock just like how they do it in your neighbourhood kopitiam!

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 11
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“My family says that if I don’t have teh c kosong, I get a bit cranky”. The medicine to her crankiness, Nicole Seah starts her day with freshly brewed teh c kosong prepared using Train Brand tea dust. As seen in the video, she then expertly tariks (pulls) the evaporated milk from the can twice directly into her mug—just like a pro.

Interested to have a taste of the magical beverage that fuels the 33-year old politician, I decided to re-create Nicole Seah’s teh c kosong for all the tea lovers and true blue Singaporeans out there. Using my own agak-ration (estimation) coupled with Nicole Seah’s advice from the video, here’s SethLui.com’s version of Nicole Seah’s Cranky-no-more Teh C Kosong recipe!


Ingredients

  • 1/2 tbsp (6g) Train Brand tea dust
  • 250ml hot water
  • 30ml evaporated milk

Tools

  • Tea sock
  • Measuring cup 

Recipe Preparation

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves one

  • Rinse the tea sock with hot water to wash off any residue.
  • Add tea dust into the tea sock and place tea sock into a measuring cup. Thereafter, pour hot water into the tea sock.
  • Allow the tea dust to steep for approximately 2 – 3 minutes.
  • Strain all the liquid from the tea sock into the measuring cup and transfer it into your drinking cup.
  • Pour evaporated milk into the tea and stir well before serving.

Recipe in Pictures

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 1

Step 1: Rinse the tea sock with hot water to wash off any residue.

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 2

Step 2: Add tea dust into the tea sock and place tea sock into a measuring cup. Thereafter, pour hot water into the tea sock.

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 3

Step 3: Allow the tea dust to steep for approximately 2 – 3 minutes.

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 4

Step 4: Strain all the liquid from the tea sock into the measuring cup and transfer it into your drinking cup.

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 9

Step 5: Pour evaporated milk into the tea and stir well before serving.

Nicole Seah Teh C Kosong 5

A black tea that originates from Malaysia, the Train Brand tea dust that Nicole Seah uses exuded a strong fragrance the moment I opened the bag. Due to its long period of oxidisation, the use of this tea dust resulted in a cup of teh c kosong that had a deep aroma and was very bold in flavour.

What I found to be rather unique to this cup teh c kosong was that it had subtle creamy vanilla notes along with a tinge of caramel. Only then did I find out that apart from just the tea leaves, there is also 1% of vanillin in the tea dust for an added dimension in flavour.

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As a coffee addict, I must say that I did enjoy my cup of Nicole Seah’s Cranky-no-more Teh C Kosong. Especially since I also consume my kopi kosong-style, I realised that the taste of these beverages was much more vivid without the addition of sweeteners. 

Not only that, but the best part of this home-brewed tea recipe is the fact that you can modify each step according to your personnel preference. For a stronger brew of tea, try steeping your tea dust for up to five minutes instead. And if you must have a little sweetness in your morning pick-me-up, you can definitely add a teaspoon of sugar or condense milk. The choice is yours, so feel free to modify as you like!

Expected Damage: S$0.20 per cup 

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