Project 30: Cooling down in the dead of fake winter

Why the need to cool down during wintertime?

I arrived in Dubai last June in the middle of the hottest summer I have ever experienced in my life. It was THAT hot, considering that I was born and raised in a tropical country which is right smack on the equator. I was in the desert so what the heck did I even expect? I did expect the scorching summer sun, but the suffocating humidity? That I did not expect at all.

So now that the weather has cooled down significantly, requiring an additional layer of clothing (preferably something a bit thick like wool for those of us who aren’t built for the cold weather) on top of your day-to-day garb, why have I been guzzling down iced tea on a daily basis?!?

Isn’t it strange? A cold glass of iced tea is the only thing that seems to quench my thirst in this cold weather.

I could seriously drink iced tea by the bucket

I used to get my daily dose of iced tea in a bottle from neighborhood grocery. But I figured since we have bags of tea at home, why not make my own iced tea to save me a few dirhams a day?

And so I did play around with some of the ingredients we have in our wee pantry: tea bags, lemon juice and honey. I mixed and match until I came up with the perfect combination…at least to my liking.

Ingredients:

1 cup hot water
1 teabag – preferably Black Tea
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 table spoon honey
A big handful of ice cubes

Step-by-step:

Mix the lemon juice and honey in a mug. Place the teabag in as well.
Then pour hot water and let the tea seep for a few minutes. Do check the recommended seeping time on the teabag or the box where the teabag came from.
Remove the teabag and mix all the ingredients.
Let the tea cool down. Or place it in the freezer for quicker cooling time. Just make sure you don’t leave it in for too long. 3-4 minutes would do.
Prepare a glass with the handful of ice cubes, then pour in the cooled down tea mixture.
Option: add some mint leaves for some zing!

I wish I had my personal Iced Tea fountain right now...

I did try using green tea, but black tea seems to have worked better for me. It actually gives the iced tea nostalgic taste, similar to the iced teas I’ve had in the country clubs when I was a kid. I actually just finished a glass and I still want more…

Delirious about delicious,

Didi

P.S. More of my favorite food stuff here…