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Lemon verbena tea (louiza)
Louiza: a calming infusion of fresh or dried lemon verbena, alone or with mint
After a big dinner or before bed, many Moroccan households swap green mint tea for a pot of louiza, lemon verbena, whose long, narrow leaves give a pale golden infusion that smells of lemon sherbet and has no caffeine. The fresh herb is sold in bunches alongside mint and absinthe at market herb stalls, and dried leaves keep all year. Drink it plain, lightly sweetened, or brewed with a few mint sprigs. It is soothing, clean-tasting and fragrant. Chef's tip: pour boiling water over the leaves and let them steep off the heat for 5 minutes; boiling the leaves in the pot, a common mistake, turns the tea grassy and bitter.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- ½ oz fresh lemon verbena leavesa large handful, or 2 tbsp dried
- 2 cups water
- 3 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
- 2 tsp sugar (optional)to taste
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 2 cups water to the boil in a kettle or pan.
3 minStep 2: Rinse ½ oz fresh lemon verbena leaves and 3 fresh mint sprigs and put them in a teapot. Pour over a splash of the hot water, swirl and pour it away to rinse off any dust.
Step 3: Pour in the rest of the boiling water, cover and leave to steep off the heat until pale gold and fragrant.
5 minStep 4: Add 2 tsp sugar if you like, stir and pour into glasses. Serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 15 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lemon verbena tea (louiza) take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 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.
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