If you have ever visited Thailand more than likely you would have tasted Nom Yen also known as Nom Chompoo. It’s a pink milk that is very popular with both young and old. Nom Yen is a delicious and refreshing drink you can easily make at home.
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🌟 About This Recipe
- It’s a delicious quick and easy summer drink that can be enjoyed by everyone.
- It’s gluten free, vegetarian and can be adjusted to make it vegan.
- It can be made as individual servings or made in a big batch to serve at parties.
- It’s makes a great pink milkshake alternative if you don’t have ice cream.
- And if you are looking for a non-alcoholic drink to serve on Valentine’s day this would be a great choice.
🥘 Ingredients
Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.
Hale’s blue boy sala syrup, you can get this from most Asian supermarkets or buy it online. It’s not expensive we got ours from our local Asian supermarket for just under $4.00. Sala syrup is suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and it is gluten-free.
Condensed milk and evaporated milk are traditionally used but there are many variations on the drink that can include one or the other or not at all.
Cow’s milk is often used but if you are vegan use alternative milk like coconut milk or almond milk instead of cow’s milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk.
Ice, use enough to fill the glasses you are using. If you don’t have ice the drink can be made without it but, it’s so much nicer with it, especially on very hot days.
🍳 Instructions
How To Make Pink Milk - 3 Ways
The usual way to make pink milk is with 1-part sala syrup, 1-part evaporated milk, ½ part condensed milk, these are then mixed with either cow’s milk or hot water.
You can adjust the portions according to your taste. But do go easy on the sala syrup and condensed milk especially if you don’t like your drinks too sweet.
1. Made with milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk and ice
You will need a 350 ml glass.
Measure in 1-part sala syrup, ½- part condensed milk, and 1-part evaporated milk into the glass and stir well to combine.
Fill the glass with ice.
Pour the milk into the glass filling it almost to the top.
Stir and serve.
Note: If making it vegan leave out the condensed and evaporated milk and replace the cow’s milk with plant-based milk.
2. Made with water, condensed milk, evaporated milk and ice
If all you have is condensed milk and or evaporated milk you can still make a tasty drink. All you need to do is increase the amounts of condensed milk and evaporated milk.
However, you don’t want to add to much of these just enough to take make the drink taste milky and not watery.
Traditionally this is made with hot water but we like it made with cold, here's our version.
We have found the amounts below to be suitable for both a 350 ml and 450 ml glass.
Because, you aren’t using fresh cow’s milk, you need to increase the amount of condensed milk and evaporated milk you use. You don’t need too much more just enough so that it makes the drink milky and not watery in flavor.
Measure 1-part sala syrup, 1-part condensed milk, and 2-parts evaporated milk into the glass and mix well.
Fill the glass with ice.
Pour in enough cold water to almost fill the glass.
Stir and serve.
3. Made with milk and ice
You will need a 350 ml glass.
Measure 1-part sala syrup into a glass, half fill the glass with either cow’s milk or plant-based milk and stir well, fill the glass with ice and add more milk to fill the glass.
✏️ Recipe Notes
Can't get sala syrup?
If you can’t get sala syrup try other flavored syrups like raspberry, strawberry, or rose syrup. The flavors won't be the same but you will still have a delicious and refreshing drink.
Adjust the flavors
For the first time make the recipe as directed on the printable recipe card. If you find it is too sweet or not sweet enough adjust by adding more or less milk or sala syrup or condensed milk.
Picnic and Party Ideas
Make it to go (great for picnics or taking to work)
To do this make pink milk (without ice) in a jug and pour it into a glass or plastic drinking bottle. The drinks can be prepared the night before and stored in the fridge until needed.
If you like you can add pieces of cubed grass jelly instead of ice to each bottle before adding the milk. Grass jelly can be purchased from Asian supermarkets in cans or you can get grass jelly powder and make it yourself.
If taking the bottled pink milk on a picnic or to work keep it chilled until ready to drink.
If you like you can even freeze the bottled pink milk. These can be used in addition to your ice bricks for your lunch box.
If you do freeze don’t fill the bottles all the way to the top, leave some room for expansion.
Make a big batch for serving at gatherings
This drink is easy enough to prepare in a big batch either on the day or the day before.
Make the flavored milk in a jug without ice and pour the prepared pink milk into either large bottles or jugs and store covered in the fridge until ready for the party.
When ready stir the milk and pour into glasses filled with or without ice, if liked finish the drink by drizzling some evaporated milk over the top.
- Tip: Fill the glasses full of ice and you will make the Nom Yen go further.
What is pink milk?
It’s one of the many popular Thai drinks sold by street vendors and in many restaurants.
Thai pink milk is a sweet pink milk drink flavored with sala syrup. It’s usually mixed with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, hot water or cold milk, and lots of ice.
Some vendors will use a handheld milk frother to blend the ingredients together which gives the pink milk a little foam on top.
Sala syrup is an artificial syrup made to taste like the Thai salak fruit also known as snake fruit because of its scaly skin, inside is a segmented creamy whitish fruit.
When you smell the syrup straight from the bottle it is quite strong but mellows out when made into a drink.
The sala flavor is unique and can be hard to describe, I think the syrup has a flavor more like a roll of pink bubble gum, my husband says the taste reminds him a little of jackfruit and others say it tastes like strawberry milk.
Once opened the bottle can be stored sealed in your pantry almost indefinitely because it is mostly made from sugar.
Before storing, always ensure that you clean under the cap and around the threaded section at the top of the bottle before screwing the cap on.
If you don’t have any syrup residue there can harden over time making it difficult to unscrew the cap.
🥤 More Drink Recipes
- Infused water recipes
- How to make instant coffee taste better and make it coffee shop style
- Dalgoona coffee
- Strawberry smoothie
I would love to know if you tried this recipe! If you do make it, please come back and add a comment below and let me know how it went.
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📋 Recipe Card
Thai Pink Milk
INGREDIENTS
For glass size 350 ml - with all milk
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sala syrup
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) evaporated milk
- 15 ml (1 tablespoons) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup milk
For glass size 450 ml - with all milk
- 45 ml (3 tablespoons) sala syrup
- 45 ml (3 tablespoons) evaporated milk
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ cups milk
For glass size 350 ml and 450 ml - with water
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sala syrup
- 60 ml (4 tablespoons) evaporated milk
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup cold water can use room temperature water or cold water from the fridge
Optional
- 10-15 ice cubes or enough to fill the glass size you are using.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Measure in the sala syrup, condensed milk and evaporated milk into the glass and stir well to combine.
- Fill the glass to the top with ice cubes.
- Pour the milk (or water) into the glass until almost full, stir again and serve immediately.
Sarah says
Never heard of sala syrup but this looks delicious! And such a fun color. I'll be sure to pick up some from my local Asian supermarket and give this a go 🙂