Dite sitronel

Ingredients

The tea

• 4fresh lemongrass stalks
• or a handful of dried lemongrass
• 1 litrewater

Sometimes added

• a slice of fresh ginger
• a few mint leaves
• a strip of lime peel
• honey or sugar, to taste

Equipment

• a saucepan
• a strainer
• cups

Directions

1. Cut a stalk right at ground level. Take the outer older stalks first. The clump keeps producing new ones.
2. Crush a leaf and it smells unmistakably of lemon. Trim off the very base and any dry ends. Peel away the tough outer layer.
3. Cut the stalks into short lengths. Unbruised lemongrass gives a weak thin tea.
4. Tie the leaves into a loose knot. Put the water into a saucepan. Bring it to a full rolling boil.
5. Add the bruised stalks and knotted leaves. Let it simmer for about eight minutes. It should smell strongly of lemon.
6. Taste it now and then as it brews. Pour it through a strainer into cups. Press them gently against the strainer.
7. Add honey only once it has cooled a little. Serving it is done hot after a meal.

Technique

• The lemon scent of lemongrass comes from citral, the same compound found in lemon peel, and the plant contains no citric acid so it smells of lemon without being sour.
• The long green leaves are usually discarded in cooking but are perfectly good for tea, which makes a use for the whole plant.
• Bruising the stalks before brewing is what releases the oils, and unbruised lemongrass gives a weak thin tea.

Substitutions

• Dried lemongrass works in place of fresh and is sold in tea form.
• Ginger, mint or lime peel are added in some households.

Variations

• It is drunk unsweetened by many and with honey or sugar by others.
• A cooled version drunk over ice is common in hot weather.
• Similar lemongrass teas are drunk across the Indian Ocean islands.

History

Lemongrass grows wild across the Seychelles and the tea is drunk as an everyday digestive.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dite sitronel?

Dite sitronel is a drink from Seychelles: lemongrass steeped in boiling water and drunk hot after meals. Lemongrass grows wild across the Seychelles and the tea is drunk as an everyday digestive.

How long does Dite sitronel take to make?

Dite sitronel takes 5 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Dite sitronel?

Yes, within limits. Dried lemongrass works in place of fresh and is sold in tea form. Ginger, mint or lime peel are added in some households.

What is the most important thing to get right in Dite sitronel?

The long green leaves are usually discarded in cooking but are perfectly good for tea, which makes a use for the whole plant.