Recipes: Moroccan mint tea, authentic Indian chai, and ginger-lemon infusion

Fresh ingredients liven up the hot drinks repertoire. Photo: Haley Fox

Moroccan Mint Tea

My roommate in college is from Casablanca, Morocco, and this is how her mother told me to make this traditional drink. It is very sweet and refreshing in hot or cold weather.

You will need:
a medium sized (4c) teapot
1/4 cup of green gunpowder tea
1/4 cup of sugar
enough fresh mint to fill the teapot

Your water should be steaming but not boiling.

Put the tea in the teapot and cover the leaves with hot water. Swirl several times and then pour out the water, leaving the tea behind. This serves to ‘wash the Sahara out of it.’ Then add in the sugar, and stuff the teapot with mint. Pour in the water until you can see it over the top of the mint, and put the lid on the teapot. Let stand for five minutes. Enjoy on your own, or if you are serving for guests, serve the tea in small decorative glasses on a tray and hand each glass to your guests individually.

You can use dried mint in the winter time, but it does not taste quite as good. I somehow still have mint growing in the garden; now that’s a hardy plant!

Authentic Indian Chai

The measurements for ingredients in this recipe are up to you, to make to your taste. Try it a few times with different proportions until you find a balance of flavors that you like. Click here for a slideshow about making chai.

You will need:
water
plain black tea, 1 tsp/cup water (a strong Darjeeling is good)
sugar (start with 1 tsp/cup water)
whole green cardamom
whole black cardamom
black peppercorns
whole cloves
star anise
cinnamon sticks
milk, equal volume as water

Fill a large saucepan halfway with water, and add your spices. Make sure they are in whole form so that you can strain them out later. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Add the tea, and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and heat back to a simmer, stirring to avoid boiling. Strain and serve.

Ginger-Lemon Infusion

Somewhat self-explanatory, this is a very relaxing infusion. Ginger is a natural way to settle your stomach, and lemon is a good source of immune-boosting vitamin C.

For four servings, you will need:
4 cups water
2 inches of fresh ginger
zest of one lemon (pieces of peel shaved with a vegetable peeler are fine)
honey to taste

Peel the ginger, and slice it in rings to maximize the surface area. Put it in a saucepan with the cold water, and add the lemon zest. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down and let simmer for an additional minute or two. Strain into cups and add honey to the desired sweetness.