If the ginger is fresh, leave the pieces in to eat after they soak up the other flavors.
After mint tea, ginger is probably the world’s second easiest to make. This fragrant, pleasantly warming drink has long been a standby remedy for colds but it really is an all-around tonic for the body. It also smells great while brewing. There are a few different ways to make ginger tea but after a bit of trial and error, I’ve found the following works best.
Ingredients
• Large cup of water
• Large thumb of ginger
• Honey to taste
Use a little extra water to
allow for evaporation.
Preparation
1. Wash the fresh ginger stem and without peeling, rough cut it into small pieces.
2. Place the pieces in already heated water and simmer for around 10 minutes.
3. Do a taste test with a teaspoon. If the brew is to your liking, pour it into a cup and sweeten with honey.
Notes
You only really need to slice the ginger into a few pieces but cutting it more finely means it becomes softer while simmering. This helps the pieces sink to the bottom of the cup, which works well if like me, you eat the ginger after drinking the tea. Naturally, you can either lift or strain out the pieces if you prefer. Some people don’t actually simmer the ginger and instead just pour on boiling water in a cup, but I find brewing creates a better flavor.
As you can see in the photo above, the flavor can be enhanced with a variety of other ingredients, including lemon, lime, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla but I also like to add Chinese star anise, a great tasting spice with various benefits of its own. Just flatten one or two spikes with the handle of a knife and simmer them with the ginger. Be sparing – fresh star anise can be quite powerful.