Street-Cart Classic · Thai Iced Tea
Cha Yen (Thai Iced Tea)
Photo: Andy Li / Wikimedia Commons · CC0
Its signature orange color comes mostly from food coloring blended into the commercial Thai tea mixes vendors use, not from the tea leaves or the milk.
Cha yen is strongly brewed black tea, often spiced with star anise or tamarind, sweetened with sugar and condensed milk, then shaken over ice and topped with a pour of evaporated milk. Street vendors sell it in clear plastic bags or cups from carts parked beside noodle stalls all over Thailand.
Why it's made this way: It became a fixture of Bangkok street life as an affordable, sweet counterpoint to fiery street food, and its striped orange-and-cream look is now one of the most recognized drinks in Southeast Asia.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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