SHAY NA’NA’
MOROCCO | TUNISIA
The making of mint tea in Morocco is surrounded with ritual, with the task of making and serving it falling to the man of the house. And if the tea maker is a stickler for quality, he will always use pieces of sugar hacked from a cane sugar loaf wrapped in gorgeous purple paper to sweeten the tea. He will also add the sugar to the pot rather than to the individual cups. That said, you don’t really need to do either to produce an excellent mint tea.
SERVES 4
2 teaspoons green tea leaves
3 tablespoons raw cane sugar
¼ bunch mint (2 ounces/50 g)
1. Rinse a teapot with boiling water, then discard the water and add the tea leaves. Add a little boiling water and swirl around a bit before draining the water (this was done traditionally to rinse the tea of any impurities, but there is no need for this now except to stick to tradition).
2. Add 3 cups (750 ml) boiling water to the tea and stir in the sugar. Crush the mint a little with your hands, then add to the pot. Push the mint down into the liquid with a spoon. Let infuse for a few minutes before serving in traditional Moroccan tea glasses, which are small and narrow and often made of colored glass that is beautifully decorated with paint and/or gold.