Beat the Heat Series ~ Iced Lemon and Mint Tea

With the temperatures in Hyderabad already touching 42 celsius, it isn’t my favourite part of the year…. i still have to wait for the mangoes to appear so i can take comfort and manage the heat….but i promised to crib less (!) about the heat this year and explore foods that can cool me down quite literally!!

Its been a busy two weeks, I cant even imagine they went past so soon….Amma sure has a hectic social life, much more than mine! She leaves on saturday. Today was the day to check if all the stuff she amassed bought over this visit can be packed … in the midst of bringing down the suitcases and helping her sort things out, I needed to have a cold drink or I was sure to burst a blood vessel, it was that hot, I kid you not!

I promptly went to the kitchen to see what i could get. I am not the fizzy drinks person, unless its spiked strongly :), we also dont store too many boxed juices, I was out of yogurt so i couldnt make my favourite Lassi, we didnt have any fruit either so fruit juice too wasnt possible. Then i saw the chai…i have quite an assortment of flavours…..all those books and magazines i read with references to hot summer afternoons spent sipping iced tea on the porch came flooding as i stood there with the cabinet door open, looking at the boxes of teas….

lots of crushed ice and mint leaves, a cup of hot water and one tea bag later, i was a happy woman….sipping like i was featured in a magazine!! Try it, it was super refreshing.

Am sending this to Valli’s Thanda Mela head over there for summer treats

Lemon and Mint Iced Tea (makes 2 tall glasses)

1 tea bag lemon flavoured tea

1 cup hot water

2 cups very cold water

few sprigs fresh mint leaves

1 cup ice, crushed

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Immerse the tea bag into the hot water and cover and leave to infuse for about 2 mins. In the meanwhile, crush the ice and add equal amounts to the two glasses. lightly bruise the mint leaves with the back of a spoon or a muddler. divide equally and add to the crushed ice. Remove the tea bag from the hot water, add the sugar and cold water and mix till the sugar has dissolved. add the lemon juice. pour over the crushed ice and mint into the tall glasses. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve.