I was introduced to teh peng when I first arrived in Singapore and have been hooked ever since. 'Teh' is the Hokkien word for 'tea' and 'peng' means 'iced'. You may be wondering "what is the big deal since it is just 'iced tea'"? This is no southern sweet iced tea, it is iced milk tea or teh tarik which means 'pulled tea'. They brew this strong tea and then pull/pour it by making a long stream that allows the tea to cool and creates a frothy top. The tea is a bit sweet as they mix it with sweetened condensed milk (or you can ask for it to be 'siu-dai' which means 'less sweet') and some places add a little regular milk to add to the creaminess. No lunch is complete without a trip to the Kopitiam or Toast Box to pick up a glass.
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| Brewing my teh peng |
I am able to confidently go up to the counter and order my 'teh peng' in perfect Hokkien although I don't even have to do that anymore as they already know what the blond girl is coming to order. Before I can say anything, they ask "teh peng?" and I just nod my head and wait for them to brew me a cup. I much prefer my <$2.00 teh peng to the $5.70 iced chai tea latte from Starbucks. I think it is time to go get some teh peng!
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| At the hawker center it comes in a bag |
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| Perfect, creamy, sweet, teh peng |
