Muffin Monday: Milk Tea Muffins

When it comes time for an original muffin recipe, my thoughts went immediately to the many simple things that I have enjoyed of home, actually of the various places that I called home- California and Hong Kong. Certainly the orange blossoms, maple syrup scones, and s'mores of California serve me well in mixing and matching with the basic ingredients a muffin calls for; but the fusion of oriental elements within a quintessentially American creation is something very emblematic of myself-of a childhood in hk and an American education- the magic I have in mind that would makes this muffin special.

I first hit upon the idea to make milk tea (chai latte) muffins when I was talking to my mum on the phone who repeatedly praised about the chai latte (milk tea) she had the other day. milk tea is like the staple breakfast drink alongside with malty horlicks and ovatine in the morning before mcdonalds and starbucks came along like a mass invasion: made from three different types of sri lanka tea and boiling hot water, then mixed with evaporated milk and a hint of sugar, its history can be dated back to the colonial period: when local hongkongers invented this sweeter alternative to the good old English tea and milk. Creative locals also invented pineapple buns, sweet bread topped with strudel-like flakes, originally made with lard, sugar and flour. So I thought, a milk-tea infused muffin flecked with oatmeal and topped by a flaky, nutty topping resembling pineapple buns, would be simply, lovely.
My first step was to find a recipe for muffin with a large proportion of wet ingredients and doctor it into something milkier. i first followed the wet and dry proportions of this OM-tastic chai cakes. I whisked together the whole-wheat flour, added some oatmeal to the mixture and reduced the amount of a.p flour.
I did a little research and learnt of the secret in making silky milk tea: 3 different types of sri lanka tea, a 3-step process of making tea (pouring tea from one cup to another for three teas in order to get a strong but not bitter taste), and simmer with milk at last. for the first batch, i used skim milk in place of soy milk that was called for, but my beloved said that he could bearly taste tea. So for my second try, i used evaporated milk, just like the cafes in hong kong and for both time, i used condensed milk in place of maple syrup because often first i didn't want anything else to steal the taste of milk tea, and more importantly, condensed milk is often used as an alternative to evaporated milk and sugar for some chinese epicureans.
Some of the water/milk evaporated when the tea was simmering. for the first time, i followed ben's suggestion and added more tea to the mixture afterwards; as for the second time, I simply added an egg because i was a little leery about the batter not crusting properly the first time around.
The next step was the 'pineapple' topping: at first i wanted to use chopped macademia nuts in place of flour, but then I was afraid that the strong taste of the nuts will steal the spotlight from the muffin itself, so i used grounded almond instead.

So how were they my two-become-one muffins? I have yet to dispatch them at this moment.
For me, it was yummy especially when paired with tea with milk, first zipping it then dipping it. The topping was a bit overwhelming as I feared but the tea aroma was still subtly there, or maybe i was being self-deceptive. one thing, though,continues to bug me: about half of the muffin was stuck to the liner paper. I thought by adding an egg to the batter would help the browning and 'unstuck' the muffin. Any suggestion? I was also bugged by the fact that the muffin-tops were slightly burnt, i think i should have covered them with aluminum foil earlier.
all in all, this is a wonderful opportunity to really think outside the box and whip up an original of something that can be so effortlessly baked. the milk tea muffins are definitely worth a little effort: bite after bite, they brought back what I have been missing, a taste of home.

2-become-1: Milk tea muffins with pineapple bun toppings (makes 6)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
2 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ginger
3 tea bags (preferably sri lanka tea)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/8 cup condensed milk
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 egg

whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.
pour boiling water onto the tea bags, sit for 5 minutes, and pour it into another cup.
repeat process for 3 times.
simmer tea with evaporated milk until a brown color evolves. Stir in condensed milk when cooled. Sit overnight.
stir in oil and egg.
mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients until combined.

pineapple topping

25g butter
75g light brown sugar
50g almond powder
25g all purpose flour

cut in butter into the flour/ sugar mixture until crumbs are formed.
sprinkle on top of muffins.
bake at 180c for 20 minutes.

et voila.