Tulsi Kadha (Holy Basil Ginger-Pepper Herbal Tea)
A warming Indian herbal decoction made by simmering fresh tulsi leaves with ginger, black pepper and cloves, then sweetened with honey. Soothing on cold days or when you feel a scratchy throat coming on.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Wait
- 3 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Makes
- 2 cups (about 500 ml total)
Steps
Before you start
- Rinse the tulsi leaves well and pat them dry; use fresh leaves if you can.
- Crush the black peppercorns and cloves just before cooking so their aroma is at its strongest.
- Do not add honey while the kadha is boiling hot; heat damages honey's flavor, so stir it in once the drink is drinkable-warm.
- Honey should not be given to children under 1 year old.
Crush the spices
- Place the peppercorns and cloves in a mortar and crush coarsely, so each peppercorn splits into 2–3 pieces and the cloves crack open.
- Crush or coarsely grate the ginger as well.
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Ready when: Spices are cracked and smell sharp and fragrant.
Tip: Crushing, not powdering, keeps the kadha easy to strain.
Boil water with spices
- Pour the 2½ cups (600 ml) water into the saucepan and add the crushed pepper, cloves and ginger.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, about 3 minutes.
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Ready when: Water is at a steady rolling boil and smells of ginger and clove.
Simmer the spices
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes so the ginger and pepper infuse the water.
- The liquid will turn pale golden.
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Ready when: Liquid is pale golden and noticeably peppery-smelling.
Add tulsi leaves
- Add the torn tulsi leaves and simmer gently for 3 more minutes.
- The liquid will reduce to roughly 2 cups (500 ml) and turn a deeper amber-green.
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Ready when: Leaves are dark and wilted; kitchen smells strongly of tulsi.
Tip: Don't simmer tulsi much longer or it can turn bitter.
Rest and strain
- Turn off the heat, cover and let steep for 2 minutes.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into two mugs, pressing the leaves lightly to extract the liquid.
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Ready when: Kadha is clear amber with no spice bits in the mugs.
Sweeten and serve
- Let the kadha cool for 1–2 minutes until hot but comfortable to sip.
- Stir 1 teaspoon honey into each mug, plus ½ teaspoon lemon juice if using.
- Taste and add more honey if you like.
- Serve right away.
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Ready when: Honey is fully dissolved and the drink tastes warming, peppery and lightly sweet.
Tip: Add honey only once the drink is no longer scalding.
Good to know
Tips
- Adjust the heat to taste: use 12 peppercorns for a stronger, spicier kadha or 5 for a milder one.
- Simmer gently; a hard boil drives off the aroma and can make the tulsi bitter.
- Double the recipe in a larger pan without changing the simmer times.
- Sip it warm, not scalding, for the most soothing effect.
Make ahead
Make the kadha through step 5 up to 1 day ahead, store covered in the fridge, then reheat gently and add honey just before serving.
Storage & reheating
Best fresh. Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: up to 24 hours in a covered jar; reheat in a saucepan over low heat until steaming (do not boil hard). Freezing is not recommended.
Substitutions
- fresh tulsi (holy basil) leaves → 1 tablespoon dried tulsi. Dried is more concentrated; simmer 3 minutes as for fresh. Flavor will be less bright.
- honey → jaggery. Use 1 teaspoon grated jaggery per cup and add during the final simmer so it dissolves.
- fresh ginger → ¼ teaspoon ground dried ginger. Add with the spices; the kadha may be slightly cloudy.
- whole cloves → a small pinch of ground cinnamon. Gives a different but similarly warming spice note.