Mexican Hot Chocolate

"Get Cozy" is the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs. "This time of year it's nice to snuggle up on the sofa, GET COZY with something yummy to eat and bingewatch the next Netflix hit"  Well, I would love to snuggle up on the sofa, get cozy with something yummy and browsing thru a couple of my cookbooks!  I am not a TV person, but I would browse through my cookbooks every night.

Ina Garten's Mexican Hot Chocolate is very good, easy and quick to make. Milk and a tablespoon of brown sugar is simmered, then remove from heat, and whisk in chopped bittersweet chocolate, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground cayenne pepper. Let sit for a few minutes, then reheated until the mixture comes to almost a simmer. Serve immediately with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer.

Ina has included a recipe for Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts for dipping into the hot chocolate, but I have omitted that. All I need after a busy day when I was looking forward to relax with a couple of my cookbooks for company, is just a cup of comfy beverage, and Ina's Mexican Hot Chocolate does just that!

We love this! It is very chocolaty, "cinnamony-fragrant", with a slight spicy kick of the cayenne powder. This is the first time I'm using cayenne powder in a chocolate drink, and it definitely would not be the last time. Very yummy indeed! Both my son and daughter are already asking me to make this hot chocolate drink again!

Mexican Hot Chocolate
(source : barefootcontessa.com)

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 4½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¹⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Small pinch of ground cayenne pepper
• Long cinnamon sticks for stirrers (optional)

Place the milk and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Off the heat, whisk in the chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Allow to steep for 3 minutes. Reheat the mixture over low heat until it almost comes to a simmer.

Pour into mugs, add cinnamon stirrers, if using, and serve with cinnamon doughnuts for dipping.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Get Cozy!

Lemon Iced Tea

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), it is "Special Edition : No Cook Challenge" theme. It is always hot and humid around here, so no cook challenge is a welcome theme indeed! For this special theme, we can use any recipes from any our previous featured chefs or our current featured chef. I've decided to use Curtis Stone's recipe, Lemon Iced Tea, which I've made a few times already.

The ingredients needed ; apple juice (no added sugar), herb tea bag, lemon juice and lemon wedge, and some water. No heat required! I've used mixed apple cranberry juice. For the tea bag, I've used lemon myrtle herb tea bag.  

So simple : mix everything in a glass, leave to infuse the tea bag for about 5 minutes or so.

Remove the tea bag and enjoy sips of this delightful tea drink. This is refreshing, makes a great thirst quencher on hot days!

 Sometimes I drink it warm, but most times times I've added ice cubes. And I've even added a tablespoon of honey on days that I want a sweet tea! 

Lemon Iced Tea
(adapted from coles.com, recipe by Curtis Stone)
100nml apple juice (with no added sugar)
100ml water
1 herbal tea bag (lemon soothers give a nice aroma)
1 squeeze lemon juice and lemon wedge

1. Place all ingredients in glass, then let tea bag infuse.
2. Serve immediately.

(p/s : recipe is no longer available at coles.com)

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week,

"Special Edition : No Cook Challenge"

Cleansing Cranberry, Orange and Peppermint Tea

It's "Fresh & Fruity" at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) this week. We are currently cooking with Curtis Stone, and he has tons of recipes using fruits, so selecting a fruity recipe is not much of a problem. I have a stack of Curtis Stone's recipes which I've printed from coles.com a few months ago, before their recipes became unavailable online. This is one of them, Cleansing Cranberry, Orange and Jasmine Tea.

The ingredients to make the cleansing tea ; oranges, dried cranberries and peppermint tea bag. Originally, recipe uses jasmine tea bag, but I did not have any. However, I do have a few other flavours and chose Peppermint Herb, which I thought would be nice with the orange juice.

I made half a recipe as I'm making it for myself. I used two oranges which are squeezed for the juice, which yield almost 3/4 cup, as they are quite big and very juicy. Put everything in a small pot, along with a cup of water, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and let cool. Strain before serving.

This is quite delightful! Even though there is no sugar at all, it has a hint of sweetness from the dried cranberries and the sweet orange juice. Very nice. I rewarm the tea as I prefer drinking it warm. I was thinking of adding a cinnamon stick or maybe sub the orange juice with apple juice the next time. 

Cleansing Cranberry, Orange and Jasmine Tea
(adapted from coles, Curtis Stone)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1-1/2 cups orange juice
2 jasmine tea bags
2 cups water

1. Place a pot on medium heat and add the dried cranberries, orange juice, tea bags and water, and bring to a simmer.
2. Take the tea off the heat, allow to cool and then strain and pour into a jug.
3. When serving, add some orange rind.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week,

Fresh & Fruity

Mint Lime Surprise

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), the theme is "Wet Your Whistle!". It's a week of cocktail, mocktail, iced tea, fruit juices, smoothies.... a fun and slurpingly refreshing week! 

I've made Mint Lime Surprise, a very refreshing drink. I've used fresh mint leaves from my garden pot, and wanted to use my calamansi limes, but they are not quite ready to be harvested yet, so I bought a few limes from the market instead. Slice the mint leaves thinly, juice the limes and mix everything in a jug. I've added a little more sugar to taste and press the mint leaves lightly with a spoon to extract the lovely minty flavour. The fresh mint leaves, the lime juice with the carbonated sparkling water, and with heaps of ice cubes, would perk you up on a hot, humid day. Made this as an after dinner refreshment drink, and it was welcome with huge grins! 

Mint Lime Surprise
(adapted from coles.com, Curtis Stone)
1/4 cup mint leaves, thinly sliced
Juice from 2 limes
2 cups sparkling wateer
1 tbsp sugar
Ice cubes, to serve

Place all ingredients into a jug, stir and serve. As an alternative to limes, try another citrus fruit or give melons and berries a go.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Wet Your Whistle!

Passionfruit Cordial

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Any plans for Valentine tonight? Co-incidentally, for this year, the last day of Chinese New Year also known as the Chinese Valentine Day (Chap Goh Mei)  falls on the same day as the western's Valentine's Day, that is today! Young maidens and those who are still single would toss mandarin oranges with good wishes written on the oranges, in the sea or lake with the hope of finding a life partner. Some may perform prayers and set adrift lanterns, bearing good wishes and young men would find the opportunity to get to know them.

I was planning on baking something for today, but the laziness got the better of me! Haha! But that does not mean that I am not making anything for Valentine today. I am celebrating Valentine with sweet passion, that is, with Passionfruit Cordial! 

Over at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), it is "Raise Your Glass" week, and I'm raising mine to celebrate Valentine's Day today with a glass of refreshing, extremely delicious Passionfruit Cordial. We are currently cooking from Donna Hay's recipes and as soon as I saw this recipe from her website, I knew that I will be making this.

Passionfruit are always available at the market in the area where I live. Bought about 1 kg this morning and made only half a recipe. This recipe requires citric acid, which is available at the local bakery ingredients supplier store. The changes I've made for half a recipe was to use the full cup of passionfruit pulp which was meant for a full recipe. You would need about 7 medium sized fruits. I'm glad I did not reduce the amount as it was so full of "passion-ny" taste and fragrance. And I have read the recipe by mistake for the water, and only used half a cup, which really is OK as the cordial becomes more syrupy as it cools down. The next time when I make this, I'm going to stick to my changes.

Very easy, peasy to make. Mix all the ingredients, sugar, water, citric acid and passionfruit pulp in a medium saucepan and let it come to a boil, making sure the sugar are totally dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Store in jars or bottles, seal, and can be kept for weeks in the refrigerator, though I'm sure it would not last that long!

To make a glass of this delicious drink, simply measure about 3 tablespoons (more or less, to taste) of the Passionfruit Cordial, top with Soda Water and add in some ice chunks. Drink and enjoy! So good and refreshing, a definite welcome drink in our extremely hot "rainless" weather which we are experiencing right now.

A sweet passion, so perfect for Valentine's Day! 

I'm raising my glass tonight with my family, wishing everyone Happy Valentine's Day!

(note : my changes in blue for half a recipe)
Passionfruit Cordial
(source from donnahay.com)
4 cups (880gm) caster (superfine) sugar (2 cups = 400gm)
2 cups (500ml) water (1/2 cup)
1 cup (250ml) passionfruit pulp (I used the full amount of 1 cup)
1 teaspoon citric acid * (1/2 tsp)

Place sugar, water, passionfruit pulp and citric acid in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Bring to the boil, remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
To serve, pour over crushed ice and top with water or soda water to taste. Makes 5 cups.

* Citric acid is a natural preservative and is found in the baking aisle in most supermarkets.


Please do hop over to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), to see what the others are making for "Raise Your Class".

Home-made Lemonade : Cook Like A Star

Home-made Lemonade anyone? A glass of refreshing, thirst quenching, delightful, icy-cool lemony-fragrant glass of Home-made Lemonade! Usually when I made lemonade, I would just simply squeeze out the juice from a couple of lemons, add honey, and top with lots of ice. But for this recipe, you've got to prepare it a day earlier. The lemons are zested and juiced. Next mix in some sugar and hot boiling water. Keep covered overnight in a cool place. The next day, strain, chilled and enjoy with lots of ice.

There are a few variations to this lovely drink. Some soda water may be added if you want to, but my kids prefer to add on some honey, as these are really tangy!

Lemons, such a wonderful citrus! Lovely scent of lemony citrus lingers in the kitchen, a natural air-freshener!

Soooo refreshingly good! Go and make some today!

This post is linked to Cook Like A Star, where this month's featured chef is Delia Smith, an event organised by my baking buddy, Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids together with co-hosts, Baby Sumo from Eat Your Heart Out and Mich from Piece of Cake.

I'm sharing this too with :
See Ya In The Gumbo hosted by Ms. enPlace
Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes



Home-made Lemonade
(source from : deliasmith.com)
6 large lemons
about 150gm granulated sugar
some honey to taste (my addition)

First scrub the lemons in warm water, then thinly pare the coloured outer zest from 3 of them using a potato peeler or zester. After that any white pith will need to be pared from the strips of zest with a sharp knife - this is important to prevent the lemonade tasting bitter. Now put the zest in a large bowl and add the squeezed juice of all the lemons (don't bother to strain the juice at this stage) and the sugar.

Next pour in 2-1/2 pints (1.4 litres) of boiling water, then stir well, cover and leave overnight in a cool place. Next day stir again and taste to check the sweetness, adding a little more sugar if it needs it. Now strain through a fairly coarse sieve, as it's nice of some of the lemon remains. Pour it into bottles, using sterilized corks, then chill thoroughly.

Serve the lemonade either straight or diluted with soda water, with lots of ice.


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Masala Chai : IHCC

"Indian Tea Party", is our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are cooking from Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. I immediately thought of Chai Tea, which I have always wanted to try. And what better time than to serve this for our tea party at IHCC, virtually! 

The spices for the Masala Chai Tea, cardamom pods, whole cloves, cinnamon stick and black tea. Of course some milk and sugar. The spices are boiled and left to simmer for 10 minutes to infuse their flavours, the the milk and sugar are added in and bring to boil once again. Lastly stir in the black tea leaves, turn off the heat and leave to infuse for a couple of minutes. Strain into warm cups and enjoy.

Very nice! So fragrant and wonderfully spiced with just the right amount of spices! I can smell the wonderful fragrance of the cardamom first, then the cinnamon and the cloves. The black tea leaves are one of my favourites,  a gift from my neighbour during one of their holiday tours to Turkey. Love it, I have been enjoying it alone for my afternoons and now there's not much left! The black tea is a little mild, so I added in another 1 teaspoon, as I love a stronger tea, adjust to your liking.

I will definitely make this again and again to enjoy for my afternoon tea. A cup of this warm spiced tea would be perfect when I'm browsing thru my cookbooks, relax and enjoy both the tea and the book! 

To see my friends at IHCC tea-time party dish, you may visit them here. If you would like to join us in our cooking journey with Madhur Jaffrey, you may get the full details at IHCC's Welcome! page.

Masala Chai
(adapted from : Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, source from New Chai Ideas)
1-1/2 cups water
1 inch stick of cinnamon
8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
2/3 cup milk
6 tsp sugar (or to taste)
3 teaspoons any unperfumed loose black tea

Put water in saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. Throw in the tea leaves, cover, and turn off the heat. After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.

Fresh Melon Cooler : IHCC

Wanna join me at the beach? Well, hop on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) where we are heading to the beach for some fun and of course, we are bringing something delicious, made and inspired from Rick Bayless's recipes.  Our theme for this week is "Beach Bum". Weather is pretty crazy these last few weeks, there's no rain for almost three weeks, it is extremely hot and heading to the beach to cool off is a pretty tempting idea!

Would you like a glass of this cool, refreshing watermelon cooler? 

I thought you might!! Go on...take a long slurp!!  :)

This is so refreshing and yummy! I'm drinking this, picturing myself on a beautiful sandy beach, lounging on a comfortable beach lounge chair with a big giant top umbrella to keep off the sun, overlooking the calm blue sea, with the breeze blowing, without a thought to anything, except to just enjoy the moment, while slurping this lovely Fresh Melon Cooler, with a big cool jug right on the beach table next to me. And a plate of crispy cheezy Tortillas chips! Such bliss! And, Rick Bayless is somewhere nearby, preparing some delicious lip-smacking Mexican barbecue, and myself eagerly waiting, to savour and satisfy my hungry tummy!  hahahaha!!  Gosh! Dream on! (but, secretly wishing it will come true!) HAHAHAHA!!

What can I say? Each one of us had two glasses! I can hear my kids sucking on the straw for the last drop! Eer.......me too!  :o)

To view what the others are bringing to the beach, please check it out at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) where we are cooking from Rick Bayless's recipes until 30th September.

I'm sharing this too with :

Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes

Fresh Melon Cooler
(source from : Fronterafiesta, Rick Bayless)
4 cups packed fresh melon, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup water, plus more if necessary
1/4 cup sugar, plus more if desired
about 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus more if desired

Scoop the fruit into a blender, then add the water, sugar and lime. Blend until smooth. Add more water, if necessary, to achieve a light, easy-to-drink consistency. Taste and season with more sugar and lime if you think necessary. You can add extra flavorings (mint to honeydew, orange juice to cantaloupe, and blended raspberries to watermelon) if you like. Refrigerate to chill or serve over ice.

*********************************

Updated : 20th August 2012

We went to the beach today! Port Dickson, about 1-1/2 hours drive from where we live. Had a few hours of fun, unfortunately without my Fresh Melon Cooler, and Rick Bayless oceans away!! 

Sparkling Limeade : IHCC

It is "Nieves" time at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC)! "Nieve" is a Spanish term for snow and this week, IHCC  theme is, any refreshing cold treats, of course it must be a Rick Bayless recipe, as we are currently cooking from his recipes until September. 

With our hot and humid weather, any icy cold treats would be welcome anytime of the day! I was looking for some iced treats with lime, and spotted this at Frontera. And I have always love limes in any form of cold refreshments! Most of the time, whenever I'm at any restaurant,  I would usually go for either Iced Lime or Iced Lemon Tea, or any spritzy lime drink!

This Sparkling Limeade is a simple mixture of Sparkling Water, Lime Juice and Sugar. 

Though the recipe states that to use 1-1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, I only use 1/3 cup and it is already sour. Balance it off with some sugar and add in the sparkling water, pour into a glass with a few pieces of ice cubes and a couple of thinly sliced lime for garnish. And you would want to drink that up right away!  Well, I did.... after taking the photos!

Gulp....... aahhh.... so refreshing! I finished this glass as soon as I turned off my camera! 

To see what other "Nieves" that everyone at IHCC has made, hop over to have a look! 

I'm sharing this too, with 

Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes

Sparkling Limeade
(source : Frontera, Rick Bayless)
Makes about 5 cups, serving 5 to 6
1/2 to 2/3 cup granulated sugar or evaporated cane juice
1-1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 8 to 10 limes)
1 quart sparkling water
ice cubes

1. Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar with the lime juice in a glass pitcher and stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the sparkling water, stir and taste for sweetness; add more sugar if desired. Pour over ice and serve immediately.

Amber Ginger : IHCC

"Salud!" is this week's theme over at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are cooking from Rick Bayless's recipes. I missed last week's Potluck Theme! This week is all about beverage, alcohol is optional. We are asked to "Fill your glass with a tasty beverage and raise a toast!". So I'm raising a toast with one of Rick Bayless's drinks, Amber Ginger! The name has a nice sound to it, I like the name "Amber Ginger"!

I am not a drinker, though I do take a glass of beer or so, on certain occasions, I seldom drink anything with alcohol, other than the occasional red wine, that too when there's a celebration going on. But this sounds so good, and really, this hot weather really calls for a glass of cold beer!

Went out to get one small bottle of beer, I made this only for myself (hehe! shhhh... don't let hubby know!!). I made this while he is at work. I'll surprise him one of these days!

Super easy to mix. Simply mix together the lime juice, honey and rum together. Add some freshly grated ginger. I added in some ice cubes. Then pour in the beer, and watch it foams.

 When the foam is clearing up, you can see bits of the grated ginger.

 Would I make this again?

Let's just say that I'm already thinking of getting a couple bottles of beer on my next grocery shopping, hey, I wanted to surprise my hubby, remember? This is so refreshing, love it! I love the flavours of the sweet honey and the lime juice. The rum gives a wonderful fragrance and the ginger, the umph!!! Love it! Not bad, huh, for someone who do not really drink anything with alcohol!  :)

Now I can't wait to see what the others at IHCC will raise in their toast! Let's visit them to find out!

I'm sharing this with :
Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes
Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage


Amber Ginger
(source from :  Frontera Fiesta, Rick Bayless)
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons light rum
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 bottle (12 oz) Dos Equis Amber Beer

1. Mix lime juice, honey and rum in the bottom of a glass.
2. Add fresh ginger and stir.
3. Pour beer in glass and serve.

Refreshing Apple and Honey Dates Drink, the Chinese Way

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! A glass of this delicious refreshing drink will do just the opposite, it will get everyone to your table, including the doctor! LOL! I have not made this drink in ages. I used to make this very often for my daughter when she was just a toddler. She absolutely loves this drink, she still does. If you happen to have more apples than you need, or perhaps your apples has seen better days, do not let them go to waste, just turn them into this refreshing drink, serve it chilled to your kids and wait for them to ask for a second glass! 

A cup of warm apple honey dates drink is really soothing on a cold day! Just sip, relax and enjoy!

You may use any types of apples. Use any amount of apples you want, there's no exact quantity. If the apples are really big, then a few might just be enough. All you need to do is just peel, core and cut them to big chunks.

These are the dried honey dates which can be found at most Chinese stores. We use these dates for soups, in some traditional herbal chinese medicine and also in desserts. That is why I always have a packet in my pantry! As the name implies, these dates are sweet, so usually, there is no need to add any sugar to this drink. If the apples are sour, then a little sugar may be added in, it is all a matter of your personal taste. I would prefer to add in more honey dates than adding sugar later (I did not add any sugar for this). I like apples that has a slight sourish yet sweet taste to it, pefect for this drink.

The apples and the honey dates goes into the stockpot.

A cup of warm delicious Apple Honey Dates drink is ready to be enjoyed! 

Serve chilled or cold with ice. Really refreshing!

Told you that they would request for a second glass!

Apple and Honey Dates Drink
(will yield approx about 10-12 cups of delicious drink)

20 small apples (may add more if you wish)

12-15 dried honey dates
5 litres water
rock sugar or granulated sugar (to taste, optional)

1. Put water in deep stockpot, cover and bring to boil.
2. Meanwhile, while waiting for water to boil, peel and core apples. Cut to big chunks.
3. When water has come to a boil, add all the apples and the dried honey dates. Cover and allow to boil over medium high heat for about 30 minutes.
4. Lower heat to medium low and boil for another 1 hour. Mash honey dates by pressing it against the stockpot with a ladle. You may add sugar at this stage if desired. Cover and allow to boil for another 30 minutes.
5. Strain into a serving jug and serve either warm or cold with some ice. Or when drink is no longer hot, simply place the whole jug in the refrigerator to chill and enjoy this delicious drink chilled. Really refreshing! 

Cardamom-Scented Green Tea with Saffron

Saffron has always been on my list of spices to try out "one day". As with many other herbs, spices, vegetables and other ingredients that are not an everyday or a common thing that can be found in my kitchen, it has always been put on hold again and again. Mainly because, these ingredients are not easily available and even if they are, some of them can be very costly! When Sue from Couscous & Consciouness started the event "Make It With ..... Mondays", with a different ingredient each week, saffron being the first on the list, I knew it that I must really find a way of getting some saffron, otherwise it will be just something on my list! 

There are a few other spices and herbs that I have been looking for so long, as the shops and supermarkets around my area do not sell these ingredients. I finally found an Indian store that supplies most spices which they import from India. Went to the store together with my sisters (who also love baking and cooking, and we all love Indian spicy food!), and came back very happy, because I found the spices and herbs that I could not find anywhere else, saffron being one of them. 

This cardamom-scented tea with saffron is taken from one of my cooking books "660 Curries" by Raghaven Iyer. According to him, this is a Kahsmiris brew which is usually served for the esteemed guests at weddings, family gatherings, and special meals, especially after a rich curry dinner.  I was very curious to know the taste of the blanched ground almonds in the tea. The tea has a lovely aroma from the spices and at first, I add only about half teaspoon of the ground almonds to the cup, as I wasn't sure whether I'll like it or not. When I took a sip, I can't actually taste the almonds, and increased a little bit more until I can get the nutty taste of the almonds. This is not so bad, it is quite nice actually. As I took a sip and the next, I find that it grows on you. It is a really pleasant tea with the aroma from the spices and the nutty taste from the almonds.  I wouldn't mind having this tea again. Have you tried having tea with saffron and ground almonds in it? If you have not, then give it a try.

There will be more recipes with saffron which I intend to try. This is only the first of the many that I have in mind! Thank you Sue, for the inspiration, and I am very happy indeed, that at least one of the many ingredients in my to-try-list has been crossed out!

I'm sharing this lovely tea with of course, "Make It With ..... Mondays" over at Couscous & Consciousness. Hop over to Sue's blog and find out what it is all about, and hope to see you there!

Cardamom-Scented Green Tea with Saffron
(adapted from "660 Curries" by Raghavan Iyer)
1/4 cup loose green tea leaves
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
4 to 6 green or white cardamom pods
1 to 2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long)
4 teaspoons white granulated sugar
1/4 cup silvered blanched almonds, ground

1. Bring 5 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the tea leaves, saffron, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. Stir once or twice.
2. Allow the water to come to a boil again, uncovered, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves release their flavor and the spices perfume the tea (not to mention the air), about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the sugar and remove the pan from the heat.
4. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the ground almonds into each mug. Setting a tea strainer, over each mug, strain the tea into the mugs. Serve immediately, and pass around teaspoons to let the folks stir the tea before they sip it.