AI-generated image
Kinkéliba
Kinkéliba leaf tea with mint
Senegalese kinkéliba leaf tea with mint, the classic drink to break the fast
Kinkéliba is an herbal tea brewed from the dried leaves of a West African shrub, and in Senegal it is the drink families reach for at the moment of breaking the fast in Ramadan, served hot with bread or dates. The brew is amber, gently bitter and woody, softened with sugar and lifted with fresh mint. Many households also drink it at breakfast all year. Chef's tip: simmer it gently rather than boiling it hard; a fierce boil brings out too much bitterness.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- ⅓ oz dried kinkéliba leavesabout a small handful
- 5 cups water
- 4 tbsp sugaror to taste
- 6 sprigs fresh mint
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Rinse the ⅓ oz dried kinkéliba leaves leaves quickly in cold water to remove dust.
3 minStep 2: Bring the 5 cups water to the boil in a pan, add the leaves, lower the heat and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes until the liquid is a deep amber colour. A common mistake is leaving the leaves in for too long, which makes the tea harsh.
10 minStep 3: Take off the heat, stir in the 4 tbsp sugar until dissolved and add the 6 sprigs fresh mint. Leave for 2 minutes, then strain into cups or a flask and serve hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 40 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kinkéliba take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 13 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fresh mint?
- Fresh coriander, same amount (different but just as fresh).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Power packApple, pear, kiwi and celery juice
A sweet, energising juice of apples, pears and kiwi fruit with a stick of celery, all used unpeeled for extra goodness. It's naturally sweet, so it needs no sugar. Serve well chilled.
Guava delightGuava, mango and banana drink
A thick, fragrant blend of ripe guava, mango and banana, boosted with a spoonful of guava powder from the health shop. The book calls it a modern-day vitality drink, drawing on guava's long use in traditional Indian medicine. Serve it well chilled; sieve it if you don't like the little guava seeds.
PingadoHot milk with coffee
Order 'um pingado' at the balcão of any São Paulo padaria at 7 in the morning and the attendant pours hot milk into a ridged glass tumbler (the copo americano) and 'drips' in a splash of strong coffee, hence the name. It is milkier and gentler than a média (half coffee, half milk), creamy and lightly sweet, usually drunk standing up with a pão na chapa, a toasted buttered roll. At home you need strong filter coffee and milk heated until steaming. Scalding the milk is the frequent mistake, as boiled milk tastes flat and forms a skin. Chef's tip: froth the hot milk for a few seconds with a whisk or by pouring it back and forth between two jugs before adding the coffee, as padaria machines do.
Brazilian