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Oblepikha tea (sea buckthorn tea)
Чай с облепихой: crushed orange sea buckthorn berries with honey, ginger and orange, a hot tart tea for Siberian winters
Sea buckthorn grows wild along the rivers of Altai and the Baikal shore, and by October its thorny branches are crowded with tiny orange berries. Siberians freeze them by the bucketful, and all winter a glass teapot of oblepikha tea glows on café tables from Irkutsk to Moscow, ordered after skiing or against the dark afternoons. The taste is sharp and tropical, somewhere between passion fruit, pineapple and lemon, with a faint oily richness from the berries, softened by honey and warmed by ginger. The common mistake is pouring boiling water straight onto the honey and berries: it dulls the fruit, makes the honey taste flat and can turn the tea bitter. Let the kettle settle for a couple of minutes first. It is ready when the tea is a cloudy sunset orange, smells of citrus and ginger and the berries have released their juice. Outside Russia, look for frozen sea buckthorn in Eastern European or Nordic shops, or use unsweetened sea buckthorn purée. Chef's tip: crush a big batch of berries with honey, keep it in a jar in the fridge for a week, and spoon it into mugs whenever you want a cup.
- Total time
- 13 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the tea
- 5 ½ oz sea buckthorn berriesfrozen are fine; or 100 g unsweetened sea buckthorn purée
- 3 tbsp runny honeyor to taste
- ½ oz fresh gingerpeeled and thinly sliced
- ½ orangesliced into half-moons
- 3 ¼ cups water
Optional extras
- 1 tsp loose black tea (optional)for a stronger, tea-based version
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 2 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Thaw the 5 ½ oz sea buckthorn berries for a few minutes in a bowl, then crush them with a fork or a wooden pestle until they burst and release a thick orange juice. Stir in the 3 tbsp runny honey.
4 minStep 2: Bring the 3 ¼ cups water to the boil and leave it to stand for 2 minutes, until it is around 185°F.
3 minStep 3: Put the crushed berries and honey in a large teapot or heatproof jug with the ½ oz fresh ginger, ½ orange and the 1 tsp loose black tea, 1 star anise and 2 fresh mint sprigs if you are using them.
1 minStep 4: Pour over the hot water, stir and cover. Leave to brew for 5 minutes, until the tea is a cloudy sunset orange and smells strongly of citrus and ginger.
5 minStep 5: Stir once more and pour through a strainer into glasses. Taste and add a little more honey if it is too sharp.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 80 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does oblepikha tea (sea buckthorn tea) take?
- About 13 minutes in total: 8 minutes to prepare and 5 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 runny honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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