Lala Tea
‘Lala’ is a Swahili word which means Sleep.
Every evening, I make ‘Night Time Tea’. Chanel likes helping because she loves how random it is, every night different ingredients, different taste. I believe we do not consume as many herbs as we should and this is a way of enjoying these earthy gifts from the earth and incorporating them into what is the most important part of our lives, ‘sleep’. We have found that it helps us sleep well and I have started recommending it to anyone I meet.
Ingredients for two
Water: Two mugs
Lemon: I grate one lemon for the rind, squeeze out its juice, and pop the rest of it in a pan for the leftover juices in the pulp
Herbal teas: This is the fun part because I mix commonly known herbal teas like spearmint, chamomile or jasmine etc. I discovered these awesome teas at a corner shop in Cardiff, ‘Madhav,’ on Lower Cathedral Road.
Let’s Brew
Easy peasy,
Add all of the ingredients in a sauce-pan over medium heat, as soon as it starts boiling, take it off the heat
Sieve into the mugs, get ready to sip and relax.
Tip: I sometimes grate a teaspoon of ginger and add a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey to mask the bitterness which emanates from some of the herbs like Soursop. Look up the health benefits of these unusual tea’s and incorporate them into your day. Moringa, Soursop, Instant Ginger tea, Cerassie tea, Lemongrass, ooh if you can get fresh lemongrass; wrap it in a ball (shape) so it stays put. Bring to boil and consume just as it is.
My grandmother in Jinja would brew this over a traditional fireplace. I have recently been lucky enough and had some sent over from Brazil. It makes me nostalgic for evenings spent with ‘dada Mary’ dada means grandma in Busoga. I miss her but when I smell lemongrass I feel she is with me. She used teas, herbs and plants to calm and cure tonnes of ailments. I wish she had written them all down as she came from a long line of natural healers. There is so much to discover, get adventurous and discover tea like you’ve never done before.
Happy tea time!
