Borage-Flower Infusion (Gol Gavzaban)
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| dried gol gavzaban (Iranian borage, Echium amoenum) petals | 2 tbsp |
| water, just off the boil | 250 ml |
Equipment: teapot or jug, fine sieve, clean bottle.
About this preparation
Gol gavzaban is the Iranian borage, Echium amoenum, a different plant from the borage of European gardens. Its petals are picked on the green slopes above the Caspian in early summer and dried in the shade, where they turn violet-blue, and its tea is what an Iranian family offers for nerves, a cold or a hard day, with a lump of nabat and a squeeze of lemon. The infusion is deep violet. To test: whether lemon turns it pink, as it does with other anthocyanin-pigmented flower teas; if it does, the drink built on it changes colour at the table.
How to make it
- Bring the water to the boil and let it rest 30 seconds.
- Pour over the petals, cover, and steep 10 minutes.
- Strain through a fine sieve into a clean bottle and cool. Keep away from light.
Yield and storage
- About 220 ml.
- Refrigerate up to 3 days; the colour fades after that.
Tips and troubleshooting
- Buy whole dried petals from an Iranian grocer, not tea bags blended with other herbs.
- Steep longer for deeper colour, but past 15 minutes it turns hay-like.
- Test the colour: add a squeeze of lemon to a spoonful and watch. Record what happens; it decides how the drink is served.
Different concepts of this preparation
1. Plain infusion
The recipe above.
2. Borage and nabat
Dissolve 20 g saffron rock candy in the hot infusion for the classic sweetened tea.
3. Borage and lime cordial
Add 100 g sugar and 30 ml lime juice to the hot infusion for a pink cordial, if the colour test passes.
4. Beyond cocktails
The tea itself: hot, with nabat and lemon, after a long day.
Allergen note
No common allergens.
Development notes
- Status: draft recipe, not yet taste-tested.
- First proposed formula; measure your own yield and adjust.