Bael Fruit Tea (น้ำมะตูม)
Dreid Bael
Hi, everyone.
You are probably wondering what an image you just saw at the top. It is a dried Bael fruit.
What is Bael fruit?
Bael aka Wood apple is a fruit in the Aegle species. It is indigenous in South and Southeast Asia. Bael has several names in Thailand. It depends on each region or part of Thailand, but mostly, people would know it under “Ma-toom” (มะตูม). Bael fruit has a thick skin with many seeds inside. I have heard that sometimes its skin is so thick, and you have to use hammer or machete to break it open. Young Bael has a green skin. It will turn to yellow to brownish when it is ripe. Dried Bael that we use to make a drink is made from the almost ripe one.
Hot Bael Tea
Hot Bael Tea
Bael Benefits
Bael is such an amazing fruit. It is high in vitamin C, A, B1, B2, carotene, potassium, and calcium and best known for promoting and maintaining a healthy digestive system and preventing constipation. With high levels of vitamin C, Bael is good in helping the body to resist catching a cold. It is thought that it may also help with asthma and scurvy. This makes sense as citrus fruits were used by sailors to prevent scurvy and the fruit looks similar to an orange although we found no evidence that it is related. It stands to reason that there is a common thread in both fruits though.
Preparing for Cold Bael Drink
Bael Tea in Ice
Dried Bael can be consumed as a hot tea or iced cold drink, depending on what you are craving. We got this fruit from a friend who just came back from Thailand and have yet to see it for sale on Amazon. You can buy it by clicking here. Here are the recipes for both hot and cold Bael fruit tea. I hope you enjoy it like I forgot how much I love this delicious tea. Btw, my favorite version is iced cold Bael drink. Let me know which one you like. Cheers!
Iced Cold Bael Tea
- • 5 pieces dried Bael
- • 4 cups water
- • ice
- • ½ cup Truvia brown sugar
- • 1 cup water
- Boil water in the medium heat.
- Wash dried Bael and dab with a cloth napkin.
- Place Bael on a cooking sheet and place in non-preheat oven at 350 degrees for 4 minutes.
- Add Bael in a boiling water in the pot and boil Bael for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the stove and sieve the Bael tea.
- Turn on a stove at medium
- Add Truvia brown sugar
- Let brown sugar dissolve in water and let it sit on the hot stove for about 10 minutes.
- Turn the stove off and sieve the brwon sugar syrup, then put it in a fridge to chill.
To serve Bael hot tea
- cup Bael hot tea with 1 tbsp Truvia brown sugar syrup
- cup Bael tea with 2 tbsp Truvia brown syrup and lots of ice.
The nutrition facts is calculated from iced cold Bael recipe.
If you like this recipe you might also like one of these!
Research Says Hot Fluids DO Help Fight Colds, Here’s Some Healthy Thai Recipes That Fit The Bill
Leave a Reply