How to Prepare Ground Dried Mint at Home – Nane Yaabess Recipe

Learn the simple process of making ground dried mint spice at home.

Ingredients

A huge bunch of freshly picked green mint

Method

1. For best taste use freshly picked mint, and preferably organic

2. Rinse mint with cold water and let dry

3. Pick the green leaves and discard the stems

4. Lay green leaves on a towel by a window (but NOT in direct sunlight) and in a well ventilated area and let dry for 5-10 days. Note that direct sunlight will blacken the mint leaves and weaken their taste

5. If the mint leaves are still not fully dried after a few days passed, you can bake them at very low heat in the oven, at 170F for about 20 or so minutes until they’re fully dried and they break apart if you rub them with your fingers.

6. Discard any excessively yellow leaves from bunch

7Place dried mint leaves in food processor, and let it run for a few minutes until it turns into a powder

8. Filter the resulting powder mint in a filter/strainer to remove any stem leftovers

9. Store filtered dried mint in an air-tight container/jar in a cool/dry place away from sunlight

Variations

You may also like to leave the dried mint leaves as is, without grinding, and preserve them in an air-tight jar to use with teas. You may also bundle the green mint bunches and tie them with a rope to the ceiling on a balcony/porch in a place that doesn’t get direct sun light. In this method they tend to dry faster.

Dried mint can last several months if kept in an air-tight container.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 50
Culinary tradition: Middle Eastern
Source: Mama’s Lebanese Kitchen.