If you’ve had CoCo Fresh Tea’s bubble tea, you’ll know that they have unique names for their drinks.
This drink is inspired by their “3 Guys” bubble tea.
WHAT’S IN A 3 GUYS BUBBLE TEA?
It’s a milk-tea bubble tea with 3 toppings:
- tapioca pearls
- grass jelly
- egg custard pudding
Tapioca pearls/boba:
Tapioca pearls/boba are chewy, lightly sweetened starch balls that are found commonly in bubble tea. I’ve got a homemade boba pearls recipe which is straightforward to make.
Grass jelly:
Grass jelly is a fragrant, cooling jelly made from the plant leaves of Chinese mesona. It is set with a little starch and is lightly sweetened.
Grass jelly is dark brown in colour and has a slight bitter grassy taste. You’ll find grass jelly in many Asian desserts, such as Cendol.
You can find canned grass jelly in Asian supermarkets. I have also seen powdered grass jelly, which you set yourself with water and sugar.
Egg custard pudding:
Egg custard pudding is a soft and sweet egg-based custard that is set with a little gelatin/agar. It gives a little creaminess and body to the drink.
MY VERSION HAS AN ADDITIONAL ELEMENT
I didn’t know what to call this since “4 Guys” sounds a little ridiculous. But, I added an additional element to my bubble tea. I guess you could call it a “loaded bubble tea.” π
Since I had leftover small tapioca pearls from my Mango Sago Pudding, I added them in. The white small tapioca pearls juxtaposed with the black boba pearls looks pretty cool.
INGREDIENTS IN THE EGG CUSTARD PUDDING
It’s quite simple to make the egg custard pudding. You’ll need:
- 2 egg yolks
- a little sugar
- whole milk
- gelatin powder (or you can use agar)
HOW TO MAKE THE EGG CUSTARD PUDDING
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, heat up the milk, and then pour the milk slowly into the egg yolk mixture. This process is known as tempering.
Next, whisk in the gelatin (bloomed in milk), gently heat to dissolve, and then let it set in a container.
Chill in the fridge for a few hours until it firms up.
Note: You can use either gelatin or agar to make the custard pudding. If you like a firmer texture, you can increase the amount of gelatin.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Once you’ve made all the components, it’s as simple as putting it all together. Play around with combinations. And of course, you can add or leave out as many of the components as you like. Bubble tea is to be enjoyed however you like!
I personally love the various textures and sizes of smooth, creamy, and chewy in this bubble tea.
The addition of egg custard pudding will elevate your bubble tea to the next level. Try it out and let me know what you think.
If you try out my Coco-Inspired Egg Custard Bubble Tea, let me know! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below.
CoCo-Inspired Egg Custard Bubble Tea
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Bubble Tea:
- 1 batch HK Milk Tea
- 1 batch Homemade Bubble Tea Tapioca Pearls
- cooked small white tapioca pearls
- grass jelly cut up
- egg custard pudding recipe below
- ice cubes
Egg Custard Pudding:
- 1 C whole milk divided
- 1 tsp gelatin powder
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the egg custard pudding:
- Pour ¼ C milk into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top and give it a stir. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.
- Heat ¾ C milk in a small saucepan. Bring the milk to a simmer over low heat.
- Gradually pour the warmed milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking the mixture. When all the milk has been poured into the egg mixture, pour it back into the saucepan and whisk over low heat for about 2 minutes.
- Pour the milk with the gelatin into the saucepan, whisking over heat to dissolve the gelatin.
- Transfer to a clean container to chill and set, which will take 2-4 hours.
- Cut into cubes.
Assemble the bubble tea:
- Place 2 Tbsp of regular homemade tapioca pearls at the bottom of a drinking glass.
- Add 2 Tbsp of the small tapioca pearls.
- Add in a few ice cubes.
- Pour the milk tea over top of the ice cubes.
- Layer the cut-up grass jelly and egg custard pudding.
- Add a wide straw and enjoy.
I’ve only had a few bubble teas in my life, and they’re always so tasty! Your photos now make me want one!! These look so good Michelle, and such a fun idea!
Thanks Katherine! They’re so good especially when it’s hot out! π
I am not a tea person. Bu this looks so yummy Michelle. My wife will definitely love it. Next dalgona sensation…
Thanks for stopping by Rahul π
First off, you nailed it with the contrast in colors here – this bubble tea looks fantastic! Second, the flavors totally intrigue me. I’ve never had CoCo’s version, but then again I’ve only had bubble tea a handful of times. (Laura loves it, though!) The custard in this sounds excellent…perfect for a hot summer day!
Thanks David! The textures and flavours definitely hit the spot on a hot day!
Great recipe using gelatin, much better than the pudding you get outside. However, when I tried to make this with agar, it didn’t set. Unlike gelatin, agar doesn’t bloom in cold liquid; it needs to be dissolved in hot liquid in order for it to set. I made it again after dissolving the agar in hot milk and then it set.
Sorry to hear that it didn’t work with agar. In my experience, agar shouldn’t be bloomed first in hot water or it will clump together. However, agar it does need to be heated (brought to a boil) for it to set.
Love this recipe Michelle! We are huge boba tea lovers and your recipes remind me of the delicious and cooling treats in the dessert shops in Hong Kong. All the delicious and fun textures with the tapioca pearls, grass jelly and egg custard with the HK milk tea is a fabulous summertime treat!
Thank you so much! The textures are definitely really fun in this drink! π
I am really missing milk tea right now! This looks so good and I love that it contains egg custard too!!! Totally genius!
Chalk it up to the people at CoCo’s for dreaming up this delicious combo! π Thanks Christie!
Michelle
I’m a total tea person and you got me with this luxury. Those clicks are lovely.
Thank you! This bubble tea is definitely a luxurious drink π
Wow! Cant wait to try this! i’m so in love with coco’s egg pudding!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I made the egg custard and it was amazing – such a simple recipe and so custardy. I tried putting it in warm-ish milk tea because I was too lazy to chill it and the pudding melted. Nothing a little more gelatin can’t fix, I think. But in cold drinks and with ice cream, it was perfect. Thanks again!
Thanks for trying the recipe Vicky! You’re right, the pudding would melt in warm milk tea. Ice cream sounds like an amazing addition! π