Tea: It’s Not Just For Drinking (4 Great Tea Recipes)

By Stephanie Hanson

Did you know that tea is not only a beverage but a culinary ingredient?  It’s something many people have never thought of, but in fact, tea has been used for cooking for almost as long as it has been used for drinking.  Lu Yu, an 8th century tea sage, criticized the common practice of using tea as a soup complete with herbs and vegetables.  Yet tea can add a great deal of flavor to a great variety of dishes, while taking advantage of its health benefits as well.

Here is an entirely tea-themed menu for you to try out:

Tea Eggs
Green Tea Poached Chicken
Green Tea Penne
Jasmine Crème Brulee

Tea Eggs

Ingredients

6-12 eggs
4 cups water
6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons pu-erh tea (Rishi’s Ginger Pu-erh)
1 star anise (look at international markets for a great price)
3 cloves
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

• Add 4 cups of water to a medium pot and add eggs, making sure they are covered.  Bring the water to a boil and let boil for about 10 minutes.
• Take the eggs out of the hot water and rinse them with cold water. Gently tap the eggshell with the back of a spoon to crack it. Return the eggs to the water and add in the remaining ingredients.  Bring the tea mixture to a boil and turn the heat to low. Allow to simmer for at least two hours, adding more water if needed.

Green Tea Chicken (from Gary Hess on Yumtio)

Ingredients

Iced green tea (Sencha works well)
Chicken breast, sliced in half
Pinch of pepper

Instructions

• In a skillet, place the chicken and pour tea over it until the bottom of the pan is covered and barely over the chicken.
• Sprinkle a pinch of pepper around the chicken.
• Place the lid on the skillet and let simmer at medium heat until the bottom of the chicken is no longer pink and turn, simmering until no longer pink.

Whole-Grain Penne with Green Tea
(Adapted from Shape’s Whole-Grain Penne with Broccoli and Kale recipe)

Ingredients
6 green tea bags (he used 6 teaspoons of Sencha)
2 1/2 cups dry multigrain or whole grain penne
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add the tea and turn off heat to let steep for five minutes. Discard the leaves.  Bring the tea to a boil, add pasta and cook according to the package directions, adding broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, ricotta, oil, vinegar, and garlic, mixing well.  Drain pasta and broccoli then add to bowl and toss well.  Top with basil and cheese, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Serves four.

Spiced Jasmine Creme Brulee (from Cooking.com)

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 jasmine tea bags (or two teaspoons of loose jasmine tea)
1 whole star anise
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean (or a capful of vanilla extract)
5 large egg yolks
8 teaspoons superfine sugar

Instructions

• Place cream, sugar, tea, anise, vanilla and cinnamon in a heavy medium saucepan.  Simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, then cover and steep for half an hour.  Preheat oven to 235 degrees.  Pour cream mixture through a strainer, pressing gently on solids. Return cream mixture to saucepan and bring to a simmer.
• Beat egg yolks in a 4 cup glass measuring cup until smooth. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture.  Divide among six 6-ounce ramekins or souffle cups. Place cups in a large baking pan, then pour in enough water to come half way up sides of cups.
• Bake until just edges are set and 90% of custard jiggles but is not too fluid, about 45 minutes.  Remove from water and let come to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours of overnight.
• Sprinkle 2 teaspoons superfine sugar evenly over each custard.  Use torch to melt and caramelize sugar or broil 2 minutes, watching carefully and rotating cups. Let stand until sugar hardens or chill for 15 minutes to 2 hours.

Bon Appetea!

Stephanie Hanson had her first tea party at the age of five and it has been true love ever since. Her pursuit of tea has included working for a chain of tea stores, as well as hosting tea parties at a small cafe. Now she shares her love for tea at her blog The Tea Scoop.