How to Cook with Tea

Tea tin

Tea is an amazing beverage popular around the world. Tea comes in tart and sweet flavors, robust and delicate aromas. Tea is as diverse in blends as the people who drink it. The same tea that soothes and refreshes in a cup adds flavor and aroma to the cook pot. Whether you have a tin of loose tea or a box of tidy teabags in the cupboard, use them to enhance your culinary arts. Try these easy ways to add tea to the dinner table.

Things You'll Need

• Loose tea or tea bags
• Herbal tea ball
• Pepper mill or spice grinder

Instructions

1. 

   Grind tea leaves in a pepper mill or spice grinder. Grind tea leaves such as oolong with white pepper and use as a rub for meat before cooking. Grind green tea leaves with coarse salt to a fine powder. Use on Asian dishes or steamed vegetables to taste. Experiment with teas as each has a unique flavor.

2. 

   Make concentrated tea for marinating meat and poultry. Steep a teabag for five minutes in 1/4 cup water. Remove the bag and use the tea instead of water in the marinade. White teas are better suited to fish. Tea cooks say the tannins in tea tenderize meat just as red wine does and the tea adds a special flavor.

3. Brew fresh tea and use it in steaming rice or making stir-fry. Tea enhances most vegetables and fruits. Use tea in place of water, broth or stock. Cook noodles in tea water. Add tea brew to simmering roasts. If the tea flavor is too strong, substitute it for part, not all, of the liquid.

4. Search tea stores for matcha. Matcha is fine powdered green tea. It requires no brewing. Stir the matcha tea powder into hot water or other recipe liquids. It adds green color to ice cream and cheese cakes and blends well with dairy dishes. Matcha is used to flavor beverages, coffees, cocoas and other dishes. Matcha is more expensive than regular tea because it is concentrated. Use smaller amounts than regular tea powder.

5. 

   Make a potent powder. When you have the tea you most enjoy, whether it is Earl Grey, Jasmine or Gunpowder, grind it fine and sprinkle in any dish that needs aroma and hearty flavor. Sprinkle tea powder in muffins. Poach pears and plums in light syrup and a dash of tea.

6. 

   Grab a handful of tea leaves. Toss leaves on the grill or barbeque. Use leaves in herbal cooking sachets for soups and stews. Sprinkle leaves in cooking vegetables like spinach and broccoli. Scatter leaves over salad. Now sit down with a nice cup of tea and an Earl Gray muffin.

Tips & Warnings

• Gradually add tea to your cooking. Like adding any herb or spice, it may take several tries to get the results you want.

• Tea has caffeine. It can cause restlessness or sleeping problems in some people.