Black Limes? What are they and how are they used? Black Limes are made by briefly boiling limes in a salty brine, then drying them in the sun until their peel and flesh turn black. The dried and preserved limes are then used in cooking to add an intense tangy and smokey flavor to stews, soups, Tagines, and marinades. However, my favorite way to enjoy them is in Noomi Basra Chai (Lime-Infused Tea).
"Noomi Basra" can be translated to "Limes from Basra." According to Delights from the Garden of Eden (an excellent book, which I highly recommend), Noomi Basra are imported from East Asia to Iraq through the port city, Basra.
In other countries, they are referred to as "Limoo Aman" and "Loomi." They can be purchased at most International markets or on Amazon. However, you can make your own dried limes, it's an easy yet long process. The same process is used to make dried lemons.
Although not very attractive (a friend recently asked me if my dehydrated limes were rotten, 😂) black limes are very popular throughout the Middle East.
As mentioned earlier, they are commonly used to make a sour lime-flavored tea known as Noomi Basra Chai. Because the tea is quite sour, it needs to be sweetened with plenty of honey or sugar, think Lemonade. Most often it is served hot, but it can also be served over ice.
Noomi Basra Benefits
This delicious lime tea is also known for its medicinal properties and is used as a home remedy to:
- Aid digestion
- Calm an upset stomach
- Soothe a sore throat
Looking back to my childhood, mom always had the kettle on and the tea brewing. However, she did not prepare Noomi Basra Tea very often. It was reserved for when one of us wasn't feeling well. Personally, I think it's delicious enough to enjoy anytime you want, not just when you're sick.
What Goes Into this recipe?
The only thing you will need to make this recipe is, drumroll, please... LIMES!!! However, you can use lemons if you'd like. Smaller lemons and limes are more ideal and take less time to dry.
Drying Limes
If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you probably know how much I love my dehydrator. I use it to dry various fruits including pineapple chips and also to make amazing Jerky.
I make sure to always have dehydrated orange slices on hand to toss into tea, wine, sauces, and cocktails. Seriously, just ask my friends!
So when I dehydrated some lemon and lime slices a while back, I was a little disappointed by the results. The slices turned dark brown, almost black in color.
In my head, I had envisioned delicate, light green, and pale yellow slices. I guess you could say I accidentally dehydrated them too long. 😬
Of course, I didn't want to throw them out, I just hate wasting food. Instead, I stored the dehydrated lime and lemon slices in a jar and promptly forgot all about them. Surely I'm not the only one who does that, or am I?
Recently, while searching for lemon slices to add to a friend's tea, I came across the jar with the dried lime slices. However this time, I noticed something that I hadn't before.
As soon as I unscrewed the lid, I was smacked with the scent of Noomi Basra. Had I accidentally created Noomi Basra? Or should I say, Noomi Montana?
Why This Recipe Works
After tasting one of the dried lime slices, I realized that not only did it smell like Noomi Basra, but it had the same delicious lime-on-steroid flavor!
What makes this recipe great is that you don't need to crush and steep three or more whole dried limes to make a pot of lime tea the traditional way. Instead, you can prepare lime tea any time you want, one cup at a time.
You can also add a few slices to black tea and get that same flavor and benefits. I like to add a few slices to my Ahmad Black Tea, which is currently my favorite tea, in case you've been lying awake in bed pondering that question.
Dehydrated limes can also be ground into a powder and used in marinades for chicken and fish. The powder is easy enough to make with dried limes or you can buy it here.
Another advantage of drying limes in slices instead of whole is that it speeds up the drying process. Drying lime slices takes approximately 15 hours while drying whole limes takes 3+ days in the oven and up to a week when sun-dried!
How to Make Dried Black Limes
Step 1
Slice limes (and/or lemons) using a mandolin, which gives you thin, even slices. You'll want the slices approximately ¼" thick.
Step 2
Arrange the citrus slices on dehydrator trays leaving room for air circulation. Set the dehydrator temperature to the fruit drying setting, which should be around 135 degrees F.
Step 3
Dehydrate the lime or lemon slices until they turn a dark brownish-black color. Drying time may vary depending on the dehydrator you use, the size of the limes, and how juicy or dry the fruit is. For this reason, you'll want to set a timer and start checking them at around the 10-hour mark.
How to Make Noomi Basra Chai with Lime Slices
Step 1
To make one cup of Noomi Basra Tea, add 3 slices of dried limes to a teacup. Cover with boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes.
Step 2
The lime slices will disintegrate in the boiling water so you will have to strain the tea before drinking it.
Tip: If you don't want to transfer the tea from one cup to another, one of these tea strainers would be perfect!
Step 3
Add honey, sugar, or sweetener of choice. If the tea is too strong, more hot water can be added to dilute it.
How to Make Noomi Basra Chai The Traditional Way
- To make traditional Noomi Basra Tea, use 3 whole dried limes. Crush the limes with a mallet, then pick out and discard the seeds (they're bitter).
2. Add the crushed limes to a teapot and cover with two cups of boiling water.
3. Steep tea in the teapot for approximately 10 minutes. Pour the tea through a tea strainer. Since the lime tea will be concentrated and quite sour, only fill your cup ⅓ to ½ way full.
4. Fill the rest of the cup with boiling water. Finally, sweeten your tea with your favorite sweetener.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Dried limes are used to make a medicinal lime tea called Noomi Basra Chai. The limes are crushed and steeped in hot water until their flavor is released. The lime tea is strained and sugar or honey is added to sweeten the sour tea.
Similar to Preserved Lemons, Dried limes are also used to flavor food. This includes soups, Tagine, stews, and syrups. The fruit can be tossed in whole, crushed, or powder form.
When adding whole or sliced limes to soups or stews, I recommend using a soup bag so that the lime can be easily removed after the lime has imparted its flavor.
Dried limes are intensely sour and have a smokey and citrusy flavor.
You can make dried limes in the oven by baking them using very low heat until their flesh is dry, crisp, and black. As the limes dry out, they will become light and hollow and their peel will become dark brown or black. This process can take up to 3 days.
Sometimes, the limes are brined prior to drying. In the Summer months, they can be dried outside in the hot sun.
- If you want to have some dehydrated lime slices to use in cocktails and such, you can pull some of the slices earlier before they begin to turn dark. However, you want to make sure the limes are not tacky in any way so that they don't mold while being stored.
- Dried limes can also be used in marinades and lend a delicious flavor when used to marinate chicken or fish. Grind the dried limes into a powder before adding them to the marinade.
- Do not try to rush the drying process by using higher temperatures to dehydrate the limes. Doing so will dry the outside of the fruit, trapping moisture inside. The dehydrated lime slices will eventually spoil.
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📖 Recipe
Drying Limes to Make Noomi Basra Chai
Equipment
- dehydrator
Ingredients
- 4 limes or lemons (or as many as you'd like to dehydrate)
Instructions
- Slice limes (and/or lemons) using a mandolin, which gives you thin, even slices. You'll want the slices approximately ¼" thick.
- Arrange the citrus slices on dehydrator trays leaving room for air circulation. Set the dehydrator temperature to the fruit drying setting, which should be around 135 degrees F.
- Dehydrate the lime/lemon slices until they turn a dark brownish-black color. Drying time may vary depending on the dehydrator you use, the size of the limes, and how juicy or dry the fruit is. For this reason, you'll want to set a timer and start checking them at around the 10-hour mark.
How to Make Noomi Basra Chai with Lime Slices
- To make one cup of Noomi Basra Tea, add 3 slices of dried limes to a teacup. Cover with boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes.
- The lime slices will disintegrate in the boiling water so you will have to strain the tea before drinking it.
- Add honey, sugar, or sweetener of choice. If the tea is too strong, more hot water can be added to dilute it.
Notes
- If you want to have some dehydrated lime slices to use in cocktails and such, you can pull some of the slices earlier before they begin to turn dark. However, you want to make sure the limes are not tacky in any way so that they don't mold while being stored.
- Dried limes can also be used in marinades and lend a delicious flavor when used to marinate chicken or fish. Grind the dried limes into a powder before adding them to the marinade.
- Do not try to rush the drying process by using higher temperatures to dehydrate the limes. Doing so will dry the outside of the fruit, trapping moisture inside. This will eventually lead to the fruit spoiling.
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