Do you image that you can enjoy all the ingredients and lovely fruit as a hot pot. Boba hot pot is a new trending ways of enjoying things with boba lovers. Let’s explore more about this new trend and know the key steps of making it at home.
What’s Boba Hot Pot?
Boba hot pot is a spin on the traditional hot pot or Chinese fondue dining experience. Rather than cooking thinly sliced meat or vegetables in a communal broth, the boba hot pot features a mellow variety of boba pearls, jellies, fruits in a milk tea base. While it’s served in a hot pot, the ingredients are not actually cooked. Instead, you simply dip your selection into the hot broth to warm it up before eating.
The base of the hot pot is usually a sweetened milk tea base, sometimes with or without tea. Then you load it up according to your likes and preferences, with a DIY boba bar featuring different flavors and textures. The ingredients are essentially the same types of toppings you can add to your boba drink.
Common Boba Hot Pot Ingredients
The star ingredients in any boba hot pot spread are the boba pearls themselves. You can offer traditional black tapioca boba or get creative with flavors like matcha, mango, passionfruit, and more. The boba pearls are typically cooked ahead of time so they are soft and chewy.
Beyond boba, you can include all kinds of fun toppings:
- Jellies – Fruit or herb-flavored jellies add another chewy texture. Popular options include lychee, mango, strawberry, peach, grass jelly, and aloe vera.
- Fruits – Fresh fruits like mango, pineapple, strawberry, and kiwi add natural sweetness. They can be cut into small pieces for easy dipping. Or you can try to serve your guests with scoops.
- Sweet sauces – Condensed milk, chocolate sauce, honey, and fruit syrups allow customization of sweetness.
- Nuts and seeds – Toppings like peanuts, almonds, and basil seeds provide crunch after transfer the boba mixture to serving cups.
- Boba ice cream – Scoops of boba ice cream can even be offered for dipping and melting into the hot broth.
- Pudding – This refers to a flan or custard-like topping, often caramel-flavored. It adds a creamy element to the drink.
- Ice cubes or ice cream: if you prefer a iced version, simply add ice cubes or ice cream in your boba hot pot.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to mix-ins. Offer at least 5 types of boba and 10 other toppings for endless customization. But we have some lovely recommendations.
- Add popping boba as it enhances the feeling of eating extremely.
- Sweetened red beans or red bean boba is a lovely add-on because of its grainy texture. Compared with other components, sweetened red beans are quite small so they exist in almost every take-in of the boba hot pot.
Following is our way of making boba hot pot at home.
Homemade Boba Hot pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup grass jelly
- 1/2 cup taro balls cooked
- 1/2 cup boba pearls cooked
- 1/2 cup crystal boba
- 1 cup mixed fruits like mango, lychee, grapes
- 1/2 cup popping boba
- 1/2 cup red beans boba sweetened red beans
- 250 ml milk
- 250 ml black tea base
- 2 tbsp. condensed milk
Instructions
- Cook boba pearls and taro balls according to the instruction.
- Brew the black tea with hot water. Let it stay for around 4-5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and let the tea liquid to cool down.
- In a hot pot, add grassy jelly, cooked taro balls, cooked boba pearls, crystal boba, mixed fruits, popping boba, red beans boba, milk, black tea liquid and condensed milk.
- Gently stir everything together until well combined.
Video
How to Plan a Boba Hot Pot
1. Setting: Opt for a large table. Place a large tea urn or multiple kettles in the center. This is where you’ll have your base teas brewing.
2. Arrangement: Surround the central tea source with smaller bowls containing various boba toppings, sweeteners, and milk or creamers.
3. Utensils: Have strainers (to get tea without any leaves), long spoons for the toppings, and large pitchers for people to mix their drinks.
4. Cups: Opt for clear cups, so everyone can appreciate the visual aesthetics of their boba creations. You will love the colorful layers.
5. Experiment: The key to a successful boba hot pot lies in experimentation. Encourage mixing different teas, adding unconventional toppings, and playing with sweetness levels.
FAQs on Boba Hot Pot
While traditional hot pots are savory, boba hot pot is all about reimagining the “hot pot” experience in the world of beverages.
Absolutely! Incorporate elements like rum, vodka, or even sake to give an adult twist to your boba drinks.
Ensure the tapioca pearls are freshly cooked and kept in a sugar syrup or water solution to maintain their chewiness. But boba pearls will harden very quickly. So don’t pre-boil it too long.
Yes! Consider having a section with crushed ice or ice cubes, allowing guests to make iced boba variants. Or simply add ice cubes.
Depending on the occasion, you can have themes like tropical (with fruity elements and tropical drinks) or a classic tea theme (focusing on traditional teas and flavors).
The Boba Hot Pot is a testament to how versatile and adaptable the world of food and beverages can be. It celebrates the beloved boba in a communal and interactive setting, elevating the drink-making process to an event in itself. So, the next time you’re thinking of hosting a gathering, why not try a Boba Hot Pot? It promises fun, flavor, and a fusion experience like no other!