An Chan
Serves 4 Cooks in 15 minutes Difficulty Easy
An Chan is an incredibly healthy Thai tea. It is made from Butterfly Pea Flowers and has a whole host health benefits. It also changes colour magically when you add other ingredients. When ever I can get Butterfly Pea Flowers I always like to start my Khao Lak cooking class with an ice-cold An Chan Tea.
Butterfly Pea Flowers are rich in Anthocyanins and rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese and sodium.
Butterfly Pea Tea boasts a long list of health benefits including the following properties; antioxidant, anti glycation, anti inflammatory, prevents fatigue, analgesic, anti diabetic, anti asthmatic and for reducing stress and fatigue.
In Thailand we believe in the anti-ageing properties of An Chan and consuming one flower everyday keeps the blood thin and prevents clotting. There is also the beauty enhancing side to An Chan too and Thai women often rub the flower in their hair and eyebrows for a shiny and black appearance.
If you can source Butterfly Pea Flowers the rest is so easy. In Thailand we drink this tea iced and it’s usually very sweet. Just adjust the amount of sugar or leave out altogether according to taste.
Ingredients
- A good handful of butterfly pea flowers. Fresh are better but dried flowers are okay too.
- 2 limes, halved
- 4 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 3 pandam leaves, roughly torn
- 500ml water
Method
- Bring the water, flowers and leaves to the boil in a saucepan.
- Turn down the heat, add the sugar and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour the final mixture through a sieve to remove the flowers and leaves.
To Serve
Fill four tall glasses with crushed ice and pour in the tea. The tea should have a lovely dark blue appearance (for now). Squeeze in the juice of half a lime per glass, stir and watch the tea magically turn purple.
Hope you enjoy An Chan by Apple 🍎 Riverside Thai Cooking in Khao Lak.