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Mursalski chai
Ironwort tea
Mursalski chai (мурсалски чай): Rhodope mountain ironwort tea, drunk hot in the morning
High in the Rhodope mountains, shepherds and villagers start the day with a pot of mursalski chai, brewed from the dried flowering stems of Sideritis scardica, the Balkan ironwort that grows on the limestone slopes around Mursalitsa peak. It tastes gently floral, lemony and a little like chamomile and mint, and is traditionally sweetened with honey or drunk plain. The common mistake is steeping it for just a couple of minutes like black tea; the woody stems need a short simmer to give their full flavour and golden colour. Chef's tip: break the stems into 5 cm pieces so they fit the pot and release more flavour, and use a slice of lemon to brighten the colour. Vegans can sweeten it with sugar instead of honey.
- Total time
- 11 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- ⅓ oz dried mursalski chai (Sideritis)about 4 flowering stems
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 slices lemon
- 2 tsp sugar (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Break ⅓ oz dried mursalski chai (Sideritis) into short pieces and put them in a small pan with 2 ½ cups water.
Step 2: Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes, until the tea is golden.
6 minStep 3: Take off the heat, cover and leave to steep for 3 minutes.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 25 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mursalski chai take?
- About 11 minutes in total: 1 minutes to prepare and 10 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.
- What can I use instead of lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
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