Soothing and refreshing, my all-time favourite summer tea is not made of some citrus or berry fruit infusion. It's the heart-warming and body-cooling combination of two beautiful herbs: Lemongrass and Ginger Root.

In Chinese food ideology, lemongrass is categorized as a cooling herb while ginger is a warm herb — together, they create harmonious balance of yin and yang. Chinese medicine strongly supports a yin-yang duality in the body. Yin refers to cool, expanding foods such as ice berg lettuce that have a cooling effect on the body, while yang refers to warm, contracting foods like steak which have a heaty effect on the body.

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Chinese medicine stands by the belief that this balance of yin and yang regulate one’s spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. When a deficiency or an excess of yin or yang exists, bodily and spiritual ailments would ensue. Accordingly, we should strive to maintain a harmonious balance.

I don't really follow Chinese food ideology

Basically, I eat anything and everything I feel like eating when I want to. However, since moving to Germany’s cooler, drier climate, I have found myself on the bad side of having too much ‘yin’ in my body. It basically entails nausea, discomfort, and bloating in the belly region.

Beyond conforming to Chinese medical advice, lemongrass and ginger are full known for their anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties. Aside from boosting the immune system, these herbs work hand-in-hand to encourage blood circulation, lower blood pressure, and enhance weight loss by boosting metabolic and digestive processes. Ginger is also a known remedy for nausea and has a reductive effect on the appetite.

In Singapore, pandan leaves are also added to this drink, but I have yet to find that fragrant ingredient in Düsseldorf, so I make my tea without pandan. Nevertheless, I love my version of this tea, and it is a must-have during hot summer days! Imagine the combination on your tongue: a soothing lemongrass aroma punctuated by the hot, spicy undertones of ginger. If you do not fancy the hot, spicy zing of ginger, simply remove the ginger from both your imagination and the recipe :)

Everything you need for a pot of Lemongrass Ginger Tea:

8 stalks of lemongrass, ends trimmed
15 gm (approx. 3/4 inch piece) peeled ginger, sliced
Teeny-tiny wedge of lemon, rind included (20 gm)
100gm raw sugar
2 L water

How to make it:

Cut lemon grass stalks in half. Using the butt of a knife handle, firmly crush or hammer lightly (don’t use too much strength! You don’t want to break the stalks up) into the lemon grass bulbs to bruise them. Bruising the lemongrass helps to release the oils. This will make the tea more fragrant.

Place lemongrass, ginger slices, lemon, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan.

Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Boil the tea rigorously for 10 minutes.

Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

The tea is now ready to be drunk hot.

Note: This tea can be served cold as well. In fact, I prefer it cold! Be sure to allow the pot of tea to cool down to room temperature, before you pop the entire pot into the fridge to chill.

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