This recipe for Lemongrass Green Iced Tea was sponsored by Monviso. The recipe and opinions within this post are entirely my own.

Wastage really bothers me. Every time I make Thai food, I use copious amounts of lemongrass hate throwing away the tough ends of those wonderfully fragrant stalks. I kept thinking of a way to make use of them, until I saw dried lemongrass at the supermarket once…in the tea aisle! A flash of self-proclaimed genius went off in my head, and I rushed home to try what has since become a standard drink at our Thai inspired meals: Lemongrass Green Iced Tea.

Lemongrass has numerous benefits, and it is more than just a beautifully fragrant herb that elevates Thai curries to their glorious deliciousness. According to Google, “lemongrass is used for treating digestive tract spasms, stomachache, high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, achy joints (rheumatism), fever, the common cold, and exhaustion. It is also used to kill germs and as a mild astringent.”

What makes this beverage not just refreshing but also an ideal accompaniment to a rich meal, is that all the ingredients (and not just lemongrass)  are all excellent for digestion. It contains ginger, lime, and green tea, which makes this beverage quite the healthy one. Of course, most people like to add sugar syrup to it, but if like me you can take the healthier route and skip it, your body is in for a real treat!

Here’s the recipe for my Lemongrass Iced Tea (makes 4 glasses)!

Ingredients:

• 6-8 lemongrass stalks
• 1 thumb of ginger
• 1 lime
• 1/4 cup sugar syrup
• 1 teabag of good quality green tea
• 1 liter natural water
• Ice cubes

Method:

1. Cut the soft, good halves of the lemongrass stalks and set them aside for use in curries. Keep the tough woody ends for this iced tea.
2. Chop the tough ends up into smaller pieces. You should end up with 1 cup of chopped stalks.
3. In a saucepan, add 1 liter of water, the ginger, and the chopped up lemongrass. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Turn off heat, drop in the green tea teabag, and let it sit until it cools down to room temperature.
5. Strain the tea into a pitcher.
6. Fill glasses with ice and pour tea over ice to serve.
7. A squeeze of lime and a drizzle of sugar syrup is optional.

If you’d like to see the recipe video, click play right below!