Teatime

Tea infused cooking is the new way to consume your favourite leaves. The right amount never harms, and infusing the flavour of tea in your food adds aroma as well as spice to your food. Tea has a lot of health benefits, for example tea contains antioxidants that are good for our body. Green tea helps in reducing weight as well as in reducing the risk of heart attacks. While tea has lot of benefits to it, it totally depends on how we use it. For example, if you are making green tea then it has to be added in hot water and brewed for sometime. If you are making Jasmine tea then you can brew it in boiling water for less then a minute and strain it. Jasmine tea can be consumed directly.  When added to food, these qualities also get passed on to the food. The versatility and options available in the market allows one to experiment as much as they can with the flavours of tea. There are a lot of varieties of tea that are famous world wide. Some of these include the Indian masala chai, green tea, jasmine tea, camomile tea, lavender tea and strawberry tea. Apart from milk, tea can also be consumed with dried fruits, honey and lemon.

The young tea lovers seem to be more interested in the fruit and flower range (herbal teas), which comes in many interesting flavours such as cranberry apple, apple cinnamon and strawberry cream. Tea might be the second most-consumed beverage in the world, but we often overlook these fragrant leaves when it comes to cooking. If one thinks of tea as a spice, each different kind of tea provides a unique flavour that can add a touch of exotic essence to the dishes. Tea can be used in several ways in everyday meals. One can use cups of brewed tea as a broth for soups or infuse tea leaves directly into base items like milk for panna cotta or ice cream. Green tea works well with vegetables, fish, and poultry, lending to savoury and mellow notes. Black tea offers a smoky flavour that pairs well with beef, mushrooms, and other such hearty and flavourful ingredients. Alternatively, Rooibos is a caffeine-free infusion that would lend its earthy, honey-toned notes to soup too.  One can also turn tea into a spice mix.

MASALA CHAI SOUR

45 ml bourbon whiskey
30 ml sweet and sour mix
30 ml home made masala chai decoction
10 ml egg white

Method:
Shake all the ingredients with ice cubes.
Pour it in a cup and saucer.
Garnish the delicious drink with herb and spice, orange slice or cherry and basil leaf.

BLUE TEA KHANDWI

ingredients:
50 gm blue tea flower
100 gm beans
3 gm salt
4 gm sugar
5 ml vinegar
1 gm mustard seeds
3 green chillies
6 curry leaves
15 gm mix achar
3 asparagus
6 mini mogras
4 gm microgreens

For Blue tea flower water:
Take a pan, add oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli and sauté.
Add water, vinegar, sugar, salt and mix well with blue tea flower.

For Khandwi stuffing:
l Blanch asparagus and mini mogras.
l Add achar paste.

For Khandwi:
Heat a pan and add besan and blue tea flower water.
Mix well so no lumps are left.

For Coconut gel:
Add grated coconut, salt, green chilli, mustard seed, curry leaves make a paste.

Method:
Spread the khandwi mixture on a plain plate to make a smooth layer.
Add the khandwi stuffing on top and roll.
Garnish with coconut gel and microgreens.

Twice cooked chicken wings with green tea

 For Chicken wings:

200 gm chicken wings
2 bags green tea
10 gm celery chopped
3tsp green tea powder
4 cups of boiling water

For Glaze:

2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp green tea powder

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 200 degree celsius.
Remove the leaves from the tea bag, smear green tea leaves, celery, salt and pepper on the chicken wings.
Prick the skin of the wings with a fork.
Pour boiling water into a roasting pan with a lid. Add green tea powder into the roasting pan and stir. Put the wings on the rack, cover and steam till they are tender.
Check every 10 minutes that the water level remains just below the rack.
Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl
Remove the lid and brush the chicken wings with the glaze. Roast chicken wings in the oven for 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

TOMATO SOUP JASMINE TEA

ingredients:
200 gm tomato roasted
5 gm garlic
15 gm onion
100 ml tomato juice
2 gm jasmine tea
3 gm brown sugar
10 ml olive oil
1 pcs garlic toast
2 gm fresh basil
2 gm tabasco sauce
2 gm salt
1 gm pepper

Method:
Take roasted tomatoes and drain the juice.
In a frying pan, add tomato juice and roasted tomato juice.
Add all the ingredients, apart from Jasmine tea, and cook till the soup is hot.
Brew the jasmine tea in hot water.
Once done add Jasmine tea water to the soup.
Serve hot.