A `BREW'HAHA OVER SOME TEA!
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Ismat Tahseen
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The regular beverage seems to be turning over a new leaf in the city...
Mumbai has been seeing a
smorgasbord of food infusions, `smoky' nitrogen desserts,
plus coffee cooking, and to add to that, of late, a whole lot of
experimenting with the simple tea leaf too. City foodies are using
teabased spice rubs for meat, making eggs à la a tea soak and using it
in infusions for cakes and other bakes. Its charms lie in its depth,
aroma and flavour, and being able to enhance almost any dish. A little
black tea does wonders to fresh fruit soaked in it. Green tea (matcha)
ice cream is becoming the go-to dessert on menus everywhere and tea
leaves used as a marinade lend a richness to meat.Read on to know how
tea is no longer enjoyed in the usual way...
She also used fermented green tea on a Burmese salad and came up with an aromatic `tea firni“ where a black Darjeeling tea infusion is added to the thickened milk and a few leaves are used as garnish.“ What's the key to using tea in food? “For one, ensure the leaves are of a good quality . Also, stick to the quantity and brewing times as anything overdone will lead to a sharp taste,“ she informs.
This one can be quite a warmer, so it's apt for the upcoming winter. To make it, you brew the tea normally, then add the juice of fresh apples (or use tinned juice) to it. Add a pinch of nutmeg, a small cinnamon stick and two teaspoons of honey and boil this for about five minutes. Strain and enjoy.
STRAWBERRY INFUSION
This chilled tea with pieces of strawberry and mint leaves can be very refreshing. The process is sim ple, you boil water and add strawberries and mint to it and let it simmer for a few minutes. Now, add the tea bag for a minute. Remove and once cool, place it in the refrigerator.
In Russia, tea is traditionally prepared in a 'samovar' (large metal urn) with the zavarka (concentrated black tea) and kipyatok (hot water).Sometimes, three teapots are placed on top of each other (the smallest on top has mint tea, the middle has black tea and the bottom one holds the hot water). These are combined and diluted with the hot water as per preference. The tea is poured into a podstakanniki or a glass with a silver holder.
TURKEY: BLACK AND STRONG
A folk saying from Turkey goes, `Caysiz sohbet, aysiz gok yuzu gibidir' (conversations sans tea are like the night sky without the moon). Tea here is had black without milk, and often served with baklava and halva.
MOROCCO: WITH MINT
Also called Tuareg Tea, a glass of Moroccan tea with fresh mint, is part of social gatherings and had all day long! Best sweetened with honey, the tea is to be relished unhurriedly. It is calming and relieves indigestion and congestion.
JAPAN: OCHA WITH SUSHI
In Japan, green tea (ocha) is served with sushi. Green tea is also the main element of the traditional tea ceremony.
SAUDI ARABIA: TEA WITH DATES
In Saudi Arabia, chai or tea is a strong blend (had black), often spiced with cardamom and saffron or mint leaves and some sugar. Guests are usually served hot cups of black tea with dates as a sign of cordiality.
VISUAL DRAMA: BLOOMING TEA
In blooming tea (an artisan tea), green tea leaves are sewed around a flower bud.“Once placed in a large kettle or glass and the water infuses it, the drama begins,“ says tea stylist Radhika Batra Shah.
WORKS WELL AS A MARINADE
Blogger and food photographer Assad Dadan has used tea as a marinade. “This is a unique, yet unusual combination of flavours. I saw it being used on a cooking show a couple of seasons back -duck breasts smoked with tea leaves -and I knew it could work equally with chicken fillets,“ he says, adding, “I tried a different version -not by smoking the tea leaves, but by boiling water with a mixture of tea powder, crushed tea leaves, dash of soy , star anise, brown sugar, sesame oil and a stick of cinnamon. I cooled that down and used it as a marinade (kept for four hours) for the pounded chicken fillets. Once marinated, you can place them on a griddle or in an oven.“TEA INFUSED POHA AND TEA FIRNI!
There's no need to limit yourself with tea when using it in the kitchen, believes tea aficionado Kavita Mathur. “Did you know our grandparents had used the concept when it came to everyday cooking? Take for instance, the Chhole Pindi, in which black tea is added to the soaked kabuli chana.But today, tea is still considered a new ingredient.The irony is, we have so many tea estates and varieties, but don't experiment much. There is actually so much one can do with it, like in the West.“ She innovated with a few recipes to come up with `marbled' eggs, where boiled eggs are soaked with a Sri Lankan black tea to give a `streaked', aromatic result. “I did a delicious tea poha and tea upma, where green tea water is added in the cooking process to give a subtle flavour. I even added it to savoury sauces for pizzas and pastas.“She also used fermented green tea on a Burmese salad and came up with an aromatic `tea firni“ where a black Darjeeling tea infusion is added to the thickened milk and a few leaves are used as garnish.“ What's the key to using tea in food? “For one, ensure the leaves are of a good quality . Also, stick to the quantity and brewing times as anything overdone will lead to a sharp taste,“ she informs.
HOW ABOUT MASALA CHAI ICE CREAM AND TEA CAKES?
The savoury apart, tea also makes fantastic pairing with dessert! Food expert Zorawar Kalra has come up with a `chai ice cream' that he says is, “An Indian chai blend with home-made ice cream and a masala foam, served in a cutting glass, with dalchini cookies on the side.“ Tea's flavour and aroma also make it apt to bake with. City dessert maker Ayushi Shah has conjured up a few tea-infused desserts like a masala chai cake, Earl Grey scented chocolate ganache and green teapoppy cookies.PARTY MENU IDEA: FRUITBASED TEAS
HOT APPLE TEAThis one can be quite a warmer, so it's apt for the upcoming winter. To make it, you brew the tea normally, then add the juice of fresh apples (or use tinned juice) to it. Add a pinch of nutmeg, a small cinnamon stick and two teaspoons of honey and boil this for about five minutes. Strain and enjoy.
STRAWBERRY INFUSION
This chilled tea with pieces of strawberry and mint leaves can be very refreshing. The process is sim ple, you boil water and add strawberries and mint to it and let it simmer for a few minutes. Now, add the tea bag for a minute. Remove and once cool, place it in the refrigerator.
INTERESTING TEAS ACROSS THE GLOBE
RUSSIA: FROM A SAMOVARIn Russia, tea is traditionally prepared in a 'samovar' (large metal urn) with the zavarka (concentrated black tea) and kipyatok (hot water).Sometimes, three teapots are placed on top of each other (the smallest on top has mint tea, the middle has black tea and the bottom one holds the hot water). These are combined and diluted with the hot water as per preference. The tea is poured into a podstakanniki or a glass with a silver holder.
TURKEY: BLACK AND STRONG
A folk saying from Turkey goes, `Caysiz sohbet, aysiz gok yuzu gibidir' (conversations sans tea are like the night sky without the moon). Tea here is had black without milk, and often served with baklava and halva.
MOROCCO: WITH MINT
Also called Tuareg Tea, a glass of Moroccan tea with fresh mint, is part of social gatherings and had all day long! Best sweetened with honey, the tea is to be relished unhurriedly. It is calming and relieves indigestion and congestion.
JAPAN: OCHA WITH SUSHI
In Japan, green tea (ocha) is served with sushi. Green tea is also the main element of the traditional tea ceremony.
SAUDI ARABIA: TEA WITH DATES
In Saudi Arabia, chai or tea is a strong blend (had black), often spiced with cardamom and saffron or mint leaves and some sugar. Guests are usually served hot cups of black tea with dates as a sign of cordiality.
VISUAL DRAMA: BLOOMING TEA
In blooming tea (an artisan tea), green tea leaves are sewed around a flower bud.“Once placed in a large kettle or glass and the water infuses it, the drama begins,“ says tea stylist Radhika Batra Shah.
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