Rinse the dried hibiscus flowers briefly in a sieve under cold water to remove any dust from drying.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers (karkade)
- 6 cups water
- 1/3 cup honey, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional, for a more traditional sweetness)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 lemon, sliced, for serving
- Fresh mint sprigs, for serving
- Ice, for serving
Instructions
- Rinse the dried hibiscus flowers briefly in a sieve under cold water to remove any dust from drying.
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil with the cinnamon stick and cloves, then turn off the heat.
- Add the hibiscus, cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Longer steeping pulls out tannin and turns the tea harsh rather than tart, so watch the clock.
- Strain through a fine sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing gently on the flowers to get the last of the color, then discard the solids.
- Stir in the honey while the liquid is still hot so it dissolves completely. Add the optional sugar now if you want the sweeter Cairo street version.
- Add the lemon juice and taste. The balance you want is firmly tart with sweetness underneath, not the other way around.
- Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 3 hours until thoroughly cold. It keeps 5 days covered.
- Serve over plenty of ice with lemon slices and mint. Pour from a height if you want the traditional foam on top.
- Karkade is drunk year-round in Egypt, hot in winter and iced in summer, and it is the standard welcome offered to a guest walking in from the heat. The flowers are actually the dried calyces of the roselle plant, cultivated in Upper Egypt and Sudan, and their color is so saturated that a single cup will stain a white cloth. Naturally caffeine-free, it is one of the few drinks equally suited to a child's glass and an adult's.
Nutrition (estimated, per serving)
- Calories: 70 kcal
- Protein: 0g
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 5mg
No comments
Post a Comment