Recipe/Tutorial: Lydia’s Blood Orange Bubble Tea, Inspired by Beetlejuice!

I’m back with a second Beetlejuice inspired recipe for Food ‘n’ Flix and Fandom Foodies #Burtoween! You may remember my first entry for Bride of Betelgeuse Severed Finger Cookies, and coincidentally this bubble tea is perfect to enjoy along with those!

For those who haven’t read that entry, Food ‘n’ Flix and Fandom Foodies are both groups that do themed food months! This month they happened to overlap, as the Food ‘n’ Flix theme was Beetlejuice (hosted by Kahakai Kitchen) and the Fandom Foodies theme was #Burtoween, or the films of Tim Burton (hosted by Witchy Kitchen)! Be sure to check out the host blogs’ posts to find out how to participate yourself!

I already mentioned in my last Beetlejuice entry that I adore Lydia. I know I keep sneaking in photos from the Beetlejuice cartoon, but that’s because I love it!

LYDIA’S BLOOD ORANGE BUBBLE TEA

Honey Boba
1 1/2 cups) dry boba (not instant/quick-cooking)
2 liters (8 cups) water
200g (1 cup) sugar
250ml (1 cup) boiling water
60ml (1/4 cup) honey

1. In a pot, bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the boba and stir to separate. Boil for 45 minutes, then turn off the heat. Cover the pot and allow the boba to sit for an additional 45 minutes.
2. Combine the honey, sugar and boiling water and stir to dissolve. Drain the boba and give them a quick rinse with warm water. Store boba in warm syrup and use within 2 hours.

Sugar Lace
1 tbsp tylose
60ml (1/4 cup) boiling water
1/2 tsp meringue powder
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp corn syrup
Black food coloring

1. Preheat your oven to 135°C/275°F and lightly dust a silicone lace mold with cornstarch. Tap the mold to remove any excess starch.
2. In a bowl, combine the tylose and boiling water and beat on high speed until there are no lumps and the resulting gel has become clear.
3. Add the dry ingredients and corn syrup and whip until smooth. Add the black coloring drop by drop and mix to incorporate.
4. Using a small spatula, spread the sugar lace mixture into the mold. Press down well to get the lace mix into all the crevices, then carefully smooth off all the excess with the spatula. Dry the sugar lace in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the tops look matte. To remove the lace pieces, flip the mold over and peel the mold away carefully from the pieces. Don’t attempt to peel the pieces from the mold, as they are likely to rip. If the pieces have become so hard that they’re brittle and not flexible, all is not lost! Take a paper towel and dampen it. Wring it out very well and drape it loosely over the mold. Allow to sit for 10 minutes and the sugar lace should have absorbed just enough moisture to be bendable again.

Bubble Tea
1 liter (4 cups) blood orange juice, as close to 100% juice as possible
200-400g (1-2 cups) sugar
Red food coloring (optional)
2 liters (8 cups) of your favorite black tea, chilled

1. In a saucepan, combine the orange juice and sugar. The disparity in sugar amounts is there to account for varying juices. Start with the smallest amount of sugar and taste things until you like the flavor. Boil on low for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened and reduced to 1/2 the original volume. If the syrup isn’t already vivid red (which may happen if you don’t use fresh juice), add red coloring drop by drop until you achieve a better red color. Cool completely before use.
2. Once you are ready to serve your bubble tea, fill your cups with your chilled black tea and add the blood orange base to taste. Give it a quick stir, scoop in some boba, top with sugar lace and enjoy!

IN THIS ENTRY:

12 comments

  1. Deb in Hawaii says:

    Amazing! Another perfect entry. I am so impressed with both your creativity and your execution–the homemade boba (I never thought about making it!) and that sugar lace. Not to mention the gorgeous red color. Truly inspired.

    Thanks so much for joining in twice this round of Food ‘n Flix!

    • Katharina
      Katharina says:

      Sugar lace is a total game changer. It stays flexible so you could even make spiderwebs with it and drape it over food. It’s so fun! I would looove to see what you do with that boba!

  2. Kelsey R. says:

    I noticed you mention to get dry boba, not instant boba, and since I’m fairly inexperienced in purchasing/making boba for myself I’m not sure how to spot particularly good boba or to be sure if something is dry versus instant unless it plainly says something like instant or quick-cook on the packaging. I’m also local to Atlanta, do you mind my asking where you get your boba or what you recommend? Also I didn’t know sugar lace existed before this, it’s beautiful, definitely going to have to look into making some in the future!

    • Katharina
      Katharina says:

      Kelsey,

      Sooo sorry your comments took so long for me to answer! They were caught in my spam filter.

      Typically any boba that’s marked as “quick cooking” or “instant” is the kind you want to avoid, just like you said. It’s a good idea to note the cook times on the back as well, the non-instant boba will require much longer cooking times (a half an hour and up) whereas instant will usually take under 10 minutes. As with so many things, a limited ingredient list is also a good sign.

      I’ve found non-instant boba quite reliably at the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market. I also added an Amazon link in the entry if that is too out of the way!

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