Fresh Mint Bunch 500g

Mint in Dubai is not an occasional herb. Households go through it daily, which is why a 500g bunch makes more sense here than the tiny supermarket packet. Ours is spearmint, the variety used across the region for tea and cooking. Known locally as naana. The leaves are dark and the stems firm, cut the same morning they ship. Juice bars use it for mojitos and lemon mint. Cafes serve it in Moroccan tea. Home kitchens need it for raita, chutney, kofta, tabbouleh and every Ramadan drink. One bunch covers a week of normal household use.

Bruise the leaves, never chop them fine. A knife tears the cell walls and turns mint bitter within minutes. Press with the back of a spoon or clap between your palms instead. Extra mint dries well. Hang the bunch upside down in a dark dry spot for a week, then crumble into a jar for tea. Store fresh mint standing in water like flowers, loosely covered, in the fridge. It stays green for ten days. Kitchens ordering herbs weekly usually add Mixed Salad Leaves alongside.