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Nam takrai bai toey, lemongrass and pandan cooler
Nam takrai bai toey is a pale green iced drink of lemongrass and pandan (a long leaf with a sweet, grassy scent like vanilla) simmered with a little sugar. It is cooling, lightly sweet and the perfect partner for chilli.
- 30 minutes, plus chilling
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 20 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 4 lemongrass stalks, bashed and cut into 5cm lengths
- 6 pandan leaves, fresh or frozen, from a Thai shop, tied in a knot
- 1.2 litres water
- 70g caster sugar
- 1 lime, juiced, plus a few slices to serve
- Ice, to serve
Let's cook
- Put the lemongrass, pandan leaves and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Turn down the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes until the water is pale green and smells sweet and grassy.
- Take the pan off the heat, stir in the sugar until it dissolves, and leave to steep for 10 minutes more.
- Strain through a sieve into a jug, pressing the leaves to get every drop out, and stir in the lime juice.
- Cool, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Serve over plenty of ice with a slice of lime.
Tips
- Keep the drink covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- For a hot cha takrai (lemongrass tea), skip the lime and ice and drink it warm with less sugar.
Swaps
- No pandan: use lemongrass alone, with a few slices of fresh ginger for warmth.
- Less sugar: sweeten each glass to taste with a little honey or syrup at the table; honey makes it not vegan.
Tags
None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written. Lemongrass, pandan, sugar, lime and water contain none of them.
Check every packet for allergens.