Buchu and coconut smoothie
Ingredients
1 large grapefruit
1 to 2 sweet citrus fruits, such as oranges
½ cup goji berries
1 tbs buchu leaves
Splash of water (or 3 ice blocks on a warmer day)
Dash of coconut oil
Method
Place 4 buchu and ginger teabags (any flavour) in a glass or ceramic jug and add 1 litre of boiling water. Leave the tea to steep for at least 10 minutes and then remove.
Add fresh ginger, and orange or lemon slices to taste. Add a spoon of honey as an optional extra.
To serve, add lots of ice and garnish with sprigs of mint leaves. Can last for 2 to 3 days.
Lemon buchu yoghurt dressing
This subtle but delicious dressing is excellent with roast vegetables.
1 cup full-cream yoghurt
Juice of half a lemon
Finely chopped leaves of two sprigs of fresh buchu
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of white wine
Method
To make the dressing, combine chopped buchu with yoghurt, and then add the olive oil and lemon juice. Add white wine a little at a time just to get the desired consistency. Be careful not to add too much wine or it could overpower the subtle flavours.
Buchu shortbread
Although buchu isn’t known for being particularly sweet, the flavours come through wonderfully here.
200 ml sugar
470 g butter (salted)
5 cups flour
Powdered buchu leaves or a few drops of buchu essence
½ cup castor sugar
Method
To make the shortbread, cream the sugar and butter with the buchu powder or essence. Add the sifted flour and combine.
Press the dough into a baking tray, prick all over and bake in an oven preheated to 160C for about 35 minutes.
After removing from the oven, sprinkle the shortbread with castor sugar and cut it into squares or strips while it’s still hot. Allow it to cool and enjoy it with some tea.