King of Thailand Memorial Iced Tea w/ Whipped Coconut Cream

We arrived in Thailand in 2003 (not our first trip), and wondered why everyone was wearing yellow shirts? Turns out it was the beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday. Although he was not in good health, long life wishes were everywhere.

If you haven't been to Thailand, it is a great "exotic" destination. It's almost worth going just to eat Mangosteens - Queen of the Fruits.

The King passed away this month after a 70-year rule. Transition may be difficult as the king passed over his popular, well-educated, level-headed daughter in order for his son to rule. There may be a rocky transition (the country is basically run by the military), so stay tuned.

"Magnificant Mangosteens" from FoodFacts Website

In the meantime, here is a recipe for Thai Iced Tea with whipped coconut cream. I was surprised how close these ingredients came to the "real deal.” Please enjoy as you raise a toast to the late King Adulyadej. Yellow shirt optional.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 2.4 Persimmons

Ingredients:

5 cups water

1/4 cup honey
8 Assam black tea bags (or 8 teaspoons loose tea)
1 whole star anise
2 brown cardamom pods

Yellow shirts show support for King -
photo from South China Post

2 cups Trader Joe's Coconut Cream

Optional: Mint for garnish

Instructions:

1. Bring water to boil in a medium pot. Stir in the honey, then put in tea, star anise, and cardamom pods. Cover and steep for 30 minutes.

2. Remove the spices and tea. Chill in the fridge until cooled off. 

When ready to serve:

3. Whip the coconut cream in a stand mixer on high speed for about 2 minutes, until stiff peaks form.

4. Fill the glasses with ice. Fill the each glass 3/4 full with chilled tea. Add 2-4 tablespoons of coconut milk and serve immediately.

Serves 4 - 6.

#paleo #dairyfree #glutenfree #Thai #coconut #tea

Recipe adapted from Against All Grain website here.

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.