Wanting to whip up a great meal, but missing some spices? Why not open your tea cupboard? If you’ve ever used herbs in a recipe, you can cook with tea. In fact, cooking tea inspired recipes is infinitely simpler with a lot more options. It can be brewed into a concentrate, used as a garnish or rub, or simply added directly into a dish.
Australian chef and author Peter Kuruvita prefers using single origin Sri Lankan tea to cook with, but there are really no other rules. Tea can be used in every meal from baking to infusing a cocktail. It can be smoked, rubbed, infused or even used as a base for broth. This new foodie trend has taken the world by storm, and it’s no wonder. Tea is encouraging chefs to experiment, to play with their creativity and bring out previously undiscovered nuances in food. The only guideline, if you’re seeking a stronger flavor, don’t increase the steeping time, add more tea instead. Longer extraction times will just make the tea bitter.
