Happy New month. I am yet to get to terms with how fast this year is going. But then I realize, this happens every year. Oh well! How is June treating you so far? The rain has stopped and now the sun shines in its full glory. I am not complaining at all because I know that May-July are mango months. Yes the mangoes are all ready for harvesting. That is if you haven’t already gotten your fill of the raw ones and possibly made this jam. Last week, we got invited by a dear friend, who has a mango farm(!!), to harvest mangoes. I have been eating mangoes non stop for over a week now! My kitchen has been filled with epic mango experiments. Half of which failed miserably (the life of a recipe developer I tell you!). And in the next few weeks, you will be seeing a lot of mango content here! I have made mango jam, sorbet, juice, muffins, basically mango everything! If you have some suggestions on what you would like me to make with the mangoes, leave a comment below.

Now, lets us talk about this iced tea. First of all, it is made with jam. Mango jam. I found myself jamming a pan full of mangoes and aside from eating it with bread, I thought it would make a great addition to iced tea. Secondly, the base is lemon grass tea. Unconventional I know but that is what this blog is about. The iced tea is fragrant from the mango jam which has a hint of cloves and the lemongrass tea which is obtained from boiling lemongrass leaves.  It is quite easy to put together as long as you have jam and lemongrass near, you are sorted this summer! I always have a pitcher in the fridge so that any time I need to cool down, I just pour myself some.

What you will need:

2 Tbsp. Mango Jam

5 C. Lemongrass tea

Ice cubes

Juice of 1 lemon

1 C. Mango, thinly sliced

Mint

Observations:

1. This is assuming that you have a lot of mangoes. The jam was made with a pan full of mango puree (which is about 3 liters!) to which I added 3 cups of sugar and a teaspoon of whole cloves and let it boil then simmer till it reduced up to almost 1/4th the original puree. Your jam should change from a bright yellow to a deep mustard yellow.
2. I made the mango jam with local ( non GMO) mangoes. These mangoes have a lot of fiber in them. The sieving process helps eliminate all those stringy fibers so that you can have a smooth iced tea.
3. If you notice, I have not included any sugar. This is because the jam is very sweet and will sweeten the 5 cups of the lemongrass tea. But if you would like to add more sugar, you are free to do so.

Method:

1. To make the lemongrass iced tea, you will need a handful of lemongrass (thoroughly washed) and  4-5 cups water. Pour the water in a clean pan. Add in the lemongrass and bring to a boil. Once the teas has come to a boil, remove from fire and set aside to cool.
2. Once the tea has completely cooled down, using a sieve, sieve two tablespoons of the mango jam into the lemongrass tea. Stir well. Chill the tea till its time to serve.
3. When its time to serve, fill your glasses with ice. Add mango slices and pour the iced tea. Squeeze in some lemon juice and finish off with mint as garnish.
4. Serve!