Thanks to my friend Kris at Lululemon, I discovered roselles at the Island East Markets. I’d seen them before — those purply red flowery bulbs with spiky petals — but never really knew what to do with them until I ran into Kris with a bag of them. Turns out they can be used to make tea, and come with a bucketload of health benefits.
Did you know roselle can:
- cure coughs, fights cancer
- lower blood pressure
- get rid of bloating as a diuretic
- aid weight loss by blocking starchy carbohydrates
- give you antioxidants and minerals especially vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamins B1, B2 and B6
- improve skin tone, plus many more benefits
Roselle tea is super easy to make. All you have to do is take approximately 15-20 roselle buds and boil them in a pot of water for about 20 minutes (make sure you wash the roselle thoroughly or you’ll find little bugs floating up to the surface like I did)! If you want, you can add rock sugar or honey to offset the roselle’s acidity. Drain the softened roselle out and drink the tea hot or cold. That’s it!
- Rinse and wash roselle buds
- Boil them in water for 20-30 minutes
- The water will turn a red currant colour
- Drain the buds away and drink
Some people say roselle tea tastes like Ribena but I find it more acidic and tart. I like to drink it unsweetened and cold from the fridge, and it’s a nice way to mix it up with my red date and goji berry teas. Enjoy!
You can find fresh and dried roselle at Island East Markets every Sunday from 11am-6pm from the many Hong Kong organic farmers.
Sarah, Simply Cooked
29 November
Ah, how wonderful! A few months ago I actually bought some roselle flowers at ParkNShop International. But I didn’t pluck up the courage to make them into anything. Thanks for the idea! It sounds tasty.