New uses for your favourite teas
How about doing more than just using your tea as a beverage?
The leaves, blossoms, and herbs which comprise the expansive world of teas have multiple culinary applications other than the expected imbibement.
The history of tea is believed to find its origins in China over 5,000 years ago. In 2732, Emperor Shen Nung was boiling some water when some errant leaves from a wild tree gently fell into the pot. The resulting aromas emanating from the pot intrigued the emperor, and so he tasted the infusion; he was thoroughly delighted.
The happy discovery of tea brewing is said to be so meaningful to Chinese culture that the character for tea depicts the union of humans and nature.
Genmaicha brown rice green tea is a Japanese-style green tea made from mixing roasted brown rice kernels and sencha green tea. Lovingly nicknamed “popcorn tea”, the roasted brown rice kernels contribute to its nutty and aromatic fragrance and complements the astringency of green tea.
In the tofu preparation I am sharing with you, the genmaicha is combined with honey and spicy chili sauce; the flavour combination is so deeply satisfying. I like to serve it with rice noodles in a gingery-coconut milk broth.
In another green tea vein, Matcha literally means “powdered
tea,” and with matcha, you’re drinking the actual leaves, which have been finely powdered and made into a solution when it is prepared for drinking. In this cookie recipe, the earthy and tannic quality of the matcha powder plays the perfect foil to the intense sweetness of the white chocolate.
Matcha-White Chocolate Chip Cookies