When I was in Chinatown this past week, I spotted tons of fresh sweet basil and bought a third of a pound of it for about two dollars. Even after making a big batch of basil and kale pesto, I still had quite a bit left over, so I decided to make some fresh tea out of the rest of the leaves. After placing a 1:8 ratio of the chopped basil leaves to simmering water, I added some leftover hollow lemongrass husks (which I always keep stocked away in the freezer) to the mix. I steeped for about 10 minutes (although you can steep for an hour or so), then strained the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. The end result was this earthy and lemon-scented tea with a beautiful light green color and smooth finish. Add some raw agave or sugar to sweeten, if desired.
This sounds delish! And I know just where to get some lemongrass.
oh lovely! do you add any sugar or honey?
(i like my tea sweet.)
Angry Asian: thanks! I never add sugar to coffee or tea out of taste preference, but your comment reminded me that I should probably add that to the post!