{"id":379,"date":"2019-12-18T20:18:34","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T03:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kuchatea.com\/blog\/?p=379"},"modified":"2024-04-30T11:30:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T17:30:58","slug":"cooking-with-tea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kuchatea.com\/blog\/cooking-with-tea\/","title":{"rendered":"Tea Not Just For Sipping Anymore \u2014 It\u2019s a Culinary Tool"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Loose-leaf tea is a versatile and potent partner in the kitchen, adding a diverse range of flavors and aromas to everything from holiday baking to main courses<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Tea adds zip to a wide range of holiday cooking pursuits, including gingerbread.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

When people first discovered tea in China, more than 5,000 years ago, they didn\u2019t pour hot water over leaves and steep beverages. Instead, they ate the tea leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things have changed dramatically over the millennia. But using tea leaves as cooking ingredients<\/mark><\/a> remains. What is a matcha sugar cookie, after all, but a sweet treat infused with green tea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The holidays are especially well-suited for the flavors tea imparts to dishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chai is Made for Holiday<\/strong> Baking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Few products capture the flavors of the season quite like chai<\/a>, for example. With cinnamon, cloves, ginger and more, chai offers the season\u2019s array of spices in one sip \u2014 or nibble. Given its bold flavor, chai is a spectacular cooking partner<\/mark><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We infuse cookies with chai, and serve them in our shops \u2014 guests adore them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider Lapsang Souchong<\/a>, too, for a wide range of dishes across the year. Artisans infuse this famous tea, from China\u2019s Wuyi region<\/a> \u2014 the home of some of the world\u2019s greatest teas \u2014 with smoke. For any dish that calls for smokiness, Lapsang Souchong is an excellent choice. One our favorites involves curing salmon in Lapsang Souchong, a technique that conveys the smoky flavor without having to fire up the grill. Smoked salmon, in other words, without the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Grey a famous culinary partner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bakers routinely tap Earl Grey tea<\/a> for biscuits and cakes. The tea contains bergamot, an orange-like fruit Mediterranean fruit that is mostly farmed in Italy. The bold citrus flavor punches up pastries, but it complements dishes that normally pair well with orange flavors. Duck with an Earl Grey sauce<\/a>, for example, is exceptional.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Chocolate cake made with peppermint tea? You’ll want seconds.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Herbal teas<\/a> open up a world of flavor to home cooks. Peppermint, chamomile, lemon verbena, licorice root, rose \u2014 these and many more add interesting flavors to a wide range of dishes. Desserts options are myriad, including chocolate cake made with peppermint tea<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tea even improves stir fries. The Japanese tea genmaicha<\/a>, which involves both corn and puffed rice along with green tea, adds loads of interest to dishes. The heat toasts the leaves, and it roasts the corn and rice, adding new dimensions to the ingredients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matcha enlivens sweet and savory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And finally, there\u2019s matcha<\/a>. The powdered green tea, a Japanese staple, offers strong bunches of pleasing bitterness, as well as a bit of sweet, to many dishes. But matcha is widely used as a coloring as well. Depending upon how deeply cooks concentrate the matcha in their dishes, colors can range from faint green to something almost like fluorescent lime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The holidays are a great time to experiment with cooking with tea<\/mark><\/a>. But it\u2019s not limited to the patch of weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year\u2019s Day. Consider adding tea to your culinary repertoire throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking With Tea Recipes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Smoked salmon is a treat around the year. But given its versatility with entertaining, it shines during the holidays. You can use Lapsang Souchong tea to add the smoke flavor.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Lapsang Souchong Cured Salmon<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n