HAPPY GINGER TEA
I have always been a fan of the flavor of ginger. Not to mention the wonderful benefits it has on the digestive system (let me throw in there, ginger has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties too). I knew that ginger was a key ingredient in cooking Thai and Jamacian food, but it wasn’t until our trip to Bangkok that I discovered the freshest way to drink ginger tea.
I can still remember sitting in that tiny, hut style restaurant, after 18 hours of traveling from L.A., with the most extreme jet-lag I had ever felt. The exhaustion had left me feeling nauseous. As I scanned the menu ginger tea sounded like it would come to my aid. Honestly, I was expecting a tea bag of ginger tea, which is the most common style in the U.S. But to my surprise, I saw the waitress put down a steaming mug in front of me with real pieces of ginger, hooray! This little tea put some pep into my step and for the remainder of the month that we traveled South-East Asia, I always looked for this on the menu. Maybe you will get immediately hooked just like me and drink it all of the time!
Fast- forward a few years to my first trimester of pregnancy. I only got physically sick once, but the feeling of nausea lingered over me 24 hours a day. This little tea was a life-saver as it was one of the things that calmed my stomach down. (Vega protein powder was the other, FYI). My nieces who are now 10 and 11 years old, have also used this tea recipe for years when they were sick with the stomach bug. It really can work wonders on the body in so many ways. Those of you with arthritis, high cholesterol, respiratory conditions or diabetes will also benefit from this tea. Because of all of these health benefits, it is referred to “The Universal Medicine” in Ayurveda.
Ginger can also help keep your energy levels up throughout the day. This is because ginger increases blood flow to the brain and regulates blood sugar levels. With regulated blood sugar levels, your mood will also be more stable and you will feel a mood boost. When you are feeling good, you are feeling happy! Are you willing to try some fresh ginger yet?! I will forewarn you that in larger amounts, ginger can be spicy.
HAPPY GINGER TEA
You will need these ingredients
- 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 c hot water
- 1 teaspoon sweeter (optional)
Directions:
- Peel and cut ginger pieces and place in a mug.
- Boil the water and pour over the ginger.
- Let it steep for 3 minutes and enjoy!
Step by step:
You will need to prepare your ginger pieces by peeling off the skin first. I use my vegetable peeler for this but you can also use a knife. You want only the white flesh part of the root.
Next, slice the ginger into thin pieces. Some people like to grate their ginger, claiming it gives the tea a spicier flavor but I don’t get the pleasure of chewing on the pieces afterwards if I do this.
Place your prepared ginger pieces in a mug and pour boiling water over the pieces. Let it steep 3-5 minutes. You can either drink right away or strain the ginger pieces.
Depending on how spicy your taste buds like things, will depend on how much ginger you will want to use for this recipe. For children, I recommend using a smaller amount of ginger to begin with to allow them to get accustomed to the flavor. If this is your first time trying ginger you might want to do the same. As for myself and my ginger peeps out there, the more ginger the better! I will add a minimum of two inches of ginger in my mug and will not strain the pieces out before serving (which you want to do with the little one’s drinks) so that I can chew on the ginger pieces after I drink my tea. You can also re-pour hot water on top of your ginger pieces several times to make 2-3 more cups of tea. It will just become weaker in flavor with each cup. If you like to drink sweet teas you can add a skosh of honey or agave to your drink.
Snuk (enjoy in Thai),
Corrie
