Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Ginger tea with orange and raisins


Ginger tea is something I picked up when I lived in Singapore. In the city or if you are traveling around to Indonesia, Thailand etc. ginger tea is something so casual that you bump into it in almost every menu. When shopping you also get to see those little packets of instant ginger tea powder. Exactly like those with 3 in 1 coffee you get in Europe.


Living aside the instant version, the tea made of fresh ginger to me is an absolutely amazing drink. Especially when it is really spicy (you obviously can vary the concentration of ginger according to your taste). There is some magic in this liquid. I have a sip and feel how the blood speeds up in my veins.

I remember coming to Upside Down Cake some time ago. Sleepy, on Saturday morning with my laptop and with a plan to write something. I got a kettle of ginger tea (they make it with orange, apple and add something sweet to it) and started drinking. At first I warmed up. Then I magically woke up and found myself ready to work. To add to that the tea was so delicious that I almost finished the 600 ml kettle despite my mouth and even ears burning. It also somehow got me rid of hunger for a very long time.

Even before Singapore I used to make ginger tea at home when I was having a cold. It feel amazing how it slightly burns the throat and nose. Drinking it I could get back healthy quite fast.

The orange and raisins idea came from Jagannath Moscow vegetarian restaurant. They make their saffron tea with ginger, orange and raisins and it tastes unbelievable.

The recipe of ginger tea is almost effortless. The only thing you do have to do is to peel a piece of fresh ginger root and crush it in a blender (or finely chop). To shortcut this step I normally prepare the ginger in larger quantities and freeze it, so the next time I can just break off a piece and go.

Ginger tea with orange and raisins

makes 2 cups

1-2 tea spoons grated fresh ginger root (depending on how spicy you prefer the drink to be)
1 tbs raisins
1 cinnamon stick
400 ml boiling water from a kettle
1 orange or two mandarins (the freshly squeezed juice)
1 tbs lemon juice (or to taste)
2 tea spoons honey or light brown sugar (or to taste)

It is most convenient to make the a tea pot with a removable filter. Place the ginger, raisins and cinnamon stick (broken into 2-3 pieces).

Add 400 ml of boiling water, put the lid on and let stand for 5-7 minutes. After that, remove the filter, squeezing out all the liquid into the tea.

Add the honey or sugar, mix to dissolve. Add the orange and lemon juice and enjoy.

Related posts and pages:

Upside down cake Moscow bakery
Jagannath Moscow vegetarian restaurant and specialty store
Must try Singapore fruits
Thai green curry from scratch
Tom yam kung. Home made.

Hot and spicy mulled wine
Spicy hot cake with sticky toffee sauce

London food: a personal guide

2 comments:

  1. Sounds great!
    I'm going to try this version of ginger tea, with a lot of orange juice.
    In here, we usually have it with just a spritz of lemon juice and some
    honey.

    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for letting know, Flora! Hope you enjoyed:)

    ReplyDelete