Taj Mahal Teh Halia: Who Invented Teh Halia?
Nothing quite like a cup of hot Teh Halia to wash down all that oil after eating stuff like Nasi Lemak and Nasi Briyani. The Tannin in Tea acts as an astringent to wash down the flavours, the fat in the milk binds to capsaicin (the substance in chilli that causes that burning sensation) which eases the heat, the sugar triggers release of substances from the tongue which also eases the burning sensation and the ginger helps to relief bloatedness and aids digestion. Wow! Which brilliant fellow came up with this wonder "after your spicy dinner" drink?
We don't know who, but we certainly can say that Teh Halia ultimately has its origins in China. Huh? Kidding right? No not really, I said ultimately because the origin of Tea is from China whiles ginger is native to both China and India.
Of course, it was the British traders that smuggled the Tea plant out of China to India to start their own tea plantation. Their attempt to ease the trade deficit caused by too many Britons liking Tea and too little Chinese liking anything English is the reason that Tea became a popular drink in India. However, the word Halia though has Indonesian origins. So it could be that somehow the concept of the milk tea made its way from India to Indonesia and ultimately to Singapore. This part I am only guessing, so maybe some experts can tell us the exact origins of Teh Halia?
Anyway I digress.
What got my attention was the continuous queue of people outside this Teh Halia stall at Adam Road Food Centre. So I decided to try it.
This particular Teh Halia was surprisingly refreshing. Unlike other Teh Halias I have tasted before, this one was not overly milky and had a good balance of ginger and tea flavours. Perfect for washing down all that oil and spices! 4.25
Conclusion
Pretty good cup of Teh Halia! So starts my search for the ultimate Teh Halia in Singapore. Your recommendations please!
Taj Mahal
Adam Road Food Centre Stall 15
Open 24 hours
11 comments:
I love Teh Halia!
Another good one that I used to frequent, is one corner stall at Amoy Hawker on the 2nd row and behind the famous lor mee stall. It's the best in Amoy hawker. =)
I love Teh Halia Tarik! It's refreshing and especially the "kurang manis" (less sugar).
PS: PsMR is enjoying this Teh Halia after he finishes a clean plate of Nasi Lemak. I say, good combination!
Cheers...
I do enjoy another stall from Adam Rd. APIT drink stall. Strange name. Will check out your recommendation!
I will pay them a visit when I am craving fro Nasi Lemak and the Indian Rojak in Adam.. Best in Combination... ha ha
One i would recommend is at the Bedok Corner Hawker Centre. Sorry i cant remember the stall name or unit number. But it is one of the stalls run by a skinny indian man a few stalls to the right of Ye Lai Xiang Cheng Tng. Next time i go, i will post it here.
This stall isn't well known, and was stumbled upon by chance. Its one of the tasties teh halias i have tried, blended perfectly with just the right amount of ginger spice, milk tea and sweetness.
Mr Teh Tarik at Far East Square. The Halia-O kosong is not for the faint-hearted!
My husband's family in India never drink tea before or after a meal- only at tea time. Even a tiny cup of tea for them is considered a meal. If I ask my mother in law to have tea after food, she'll say it is too filling.
Everyday my mother-in-law makes milk tea, but it is boiled half milk/half water with loose tea added in. We only have ginger tea at the time of breaking fast in Ramadan, as it is a habit there. It is always best to have freshly grated ginger boiled into the tea- none of the powdered ginger that gives a different taste.
Since moving here from England, I've yet to find a perfect cup of tea where you can actually taste the tea...except for.... the tea at Saravanaa Bhavan on Belilios Lane. This authentic Indian shop originates in Madras, where I first tried their food. Their tea is really nice and flavourfull.
HI There,
Love your blog!!.. For me Apit Dink Stall just across from Taj Mahal. You can really taste the Halia in it ;). Stall is d best. Lovely fella and I am a regular there. No need to ask..see my face ..he say 'same' i say 'yeah'. :)
Had teh halia there a while ago. Maybe it's not my day today or there is a good shift/bad shift thingy like Hilmi. The teh halia is mediocre.
I like Iklasi's version at Bedok, thanks to Sumosumo for taking us there on our Foodie Weekend!
http://juliansi.blogspot.com/2009/04/teh-halia-iklasi-bedok-food-centre.html
Aiya, you here in Singapore when I am in Malaysia. Would have loved to meet up with you.
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