Recipe: Swahili Ginger n’ Milk Tea

Whether the sun is blistering or the snow is falling, Mozambique has the answer for you. Ginger – crazy ginger tea. The beauty of this drink is in the simplicity. There’s no long list of spices, as with Indian Chai (although, goodness do I love and adore a good cup of Chai).

It’s purer than that.

Every mug gently cradles steeped black tea and fresh grated ginger, topped off with creamy milk and sweet spoonfuls of sugar. It’s a little bit spicy and a whole lot of comfort.

Served cold, this tea makes for an incredible poolside sipper. Served hot, this tea will warm your spirit as well as your fingers during a snowy sunset.

This recipe is inspired by the Swahili people of Africa, some of who live in the northern tip of Mozambique. You’ll find similar drinks all in many parts of Africa, where ginger grows easily. Typically, the drink is served hot.

Here is the video that inspired the recipe:

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

1/4 cup grated ginger (about 3 inches of ginger, unpeeled)
1/4 cup black tea (decaf, if desired)
1 quart water
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)

Method:

First thing, gather some water and bring it to a happy bubble.

While it’s heating up, grate the ginger. I used about 1/3 of this root, skin and all.

Sometimes ginger can be a bit hairy and fibrous. No worries. Even hairy ginger is good for tea making. 

So go ahead; add the ginger and black tea to the boiling water. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, loll around in a boat. Smile at the sunshine. Make some new friends.

Fishermen. Memba Bay, Nampula Province, Mozambique. Photo by Stig Nygaard.

Next, add milk and sugar. Return to a simmer and let bubble gently for a minute or two, until the sugar dissolves.

If found that 1/4 cup of sugar is just right for a moderately sweet, chilled drink. Add a bit less if you’re serving the drink hot because sweetness comes through stronger in hot liquid.

Strain and either serve hot, hot, hot or chilled to the bone.

If hot, pour in a silly mug…

… handmade with love.

I call this one my green man mug, a.k.a. Jeff.

He pretends to be a serious book lover. And in some ways he is. But he’s also really rather silly. 

The chilled version is almost impossible to put down.

Real talk: use decaffeinated tea if serving to children!

Enjoy with a lovely view…

Ibo, Mozambique. Photo by Rosino.

And many more “hello’s” than “goodbye’s.”

Happy Stove Top Travels to you!

Thank you for following our Adventure, where I cook a meal from every country in the world, A-Z! Many smiles to you and your family. Love, Sasha

Comments

  1. SallyBR says:

    Well, you got me hooked on vanilla hibiscus bissap, so I will definitely be trying this one too. I am watching my caffeine intake, but will use decaf, I don’t think it can hurt… :-)

    (I already made a blog on your bissap recipe, but will make another one soon, as it became a daily routine for me to brew it and enjoy it cold during the morning – absolutely wonderful!)

    • Sasha Martin says:

      This is wonderful! I’m so glad the other tea was such a hit. I love finding new flavors. This one is richer because of the milk, but so, so great. Enjoy and let me know what you think :)

  2. CT says:

    I can’t wait to try this!

    Great read and great photos.

    BTW I love the “green man mug”!

  3. Tina says:

    You know that now everyone’s going to want a green man mug of their own, right?

  4. Lindsey says:

    Where can I find that mug ?

  5. Oh, you have such lovely, lovely photos! That tea from Africa looks really delicious. I would love to try it.

  6. Very cute pic of the kids drinking the tea. Thanks for sharing!

  7. Aga says:

    Yum! First comes the mixed taste of milk and tea and then you got hit by the strong taste of ginger. What a great combination! I will absolutely make this tea more often, it’s a great time of the year too. I wish I had known this recipe when I was pregnant with my boys and noussea didn’t want to go away:)

Trackbacks

  1. [...] adapted from the Global Table, a site that is quickly becoming an all-time [...]

  2. [...] based on this recipe from the Global Table Adventure that I’ve been drooling over since May. My only tweaks were [...]

  3. [...] was enough, so I dumped in some cinnamon. All in all, it was decent, but I much prefer chai or Swahili Ginger ‘n Milk Tea. Starbucks can keep their pumpkin spice. Like this:LikeBe the first to like [...]

Speak Your Mind

*