Holy Basil (Tulsi)
Holy basil is not the basil in your pasta. It is a clove-scented herb from South Asia that has been brewed as a daily tea for centuries.
What It Is
Tulsi grows across India and Southeast Asia, where it holds a place in Hindu tradition unlike any other culinary herb. The dried leaf has a warm, faintly spicy scent, somewhere between clove and pepper, with a mild sweetness underneath. It is not interchangeable with Italian basil, and that difference is the whole point.
In Ayurvedic tradition, tulsi tea was taken daily, morning or evening, as a matter of routine wellness. That habit has spread well beyond South Asia, and for good reason. The flavor is gentle enough to drink plain but interesting enough to mix with other herbs.
What To Do
Steep one heaping teaspoon in eight ounces of hot water for five to seven minutes. Boiling water is fine here. Drink it plain or add a little honey. It blends well with ginger, lemon peel, or rose hips if you want something more layered.
Beyond tea, tulsi can go anywhere you would use dried herbs for fragrance rather than sharpness: stirred into a simple syrup for lemonade, or added to a pot of rice with coconut milk. Store dried tulsi away from light and heat, and use it within a year for the best scent.
