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Tea Appetizers and Soups
Looking to impress your fellow tea connoisseurs at your next dinner party? Step it up a notch by cooking with tea! Your dinner guests won't believe that your secret ingredient for these delicious appetizers and soups is actually tea!
1) Green Tea-Scented Chicken Soup
Ingredients
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lb.), diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 1/2 C. chicken stock
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 fennel bulb, cored, quartered and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, split lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
• 1/4 C. Boston Tea’s Dragonwell green tea leaves
• 1 T lemon juice
Directions
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
3. In a large saucepan, bring stock to a simmer.
4. Add carrots, fennel, leeks and a pinch of salt.
5. Simmer on low heat until the vegetables are tender.
6. Add chicken.
7. Cover and remove from heat.
8. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until chicken is just cooked.
9. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and vegetables to a warm bowl.
10. Add green tea to the stock and steep for 5 minutes.
11. Strain through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth and set over a saucepan.
12. Add lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
13. Reheat, then return vegetables and chicken to the broth.
14. Ladle into bowls. Just what the doctor ordered!
*Makes 4 servings
Adapted from "Aroma," by Mandy Aftel and Daniel Patterson of Coi Restuarant. The above recipe for Green-Tea Scented Chicken Soup is excerpted from New York Times (Steep Increase).
2) Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs
Ingredients
• 8 eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 C. water
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T black soy sauce
• 2 T Boston Tea’s Oriental Treasure black tea leaves
• 2 pods star anise
• 1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
• 1 T tangerine zest
Directions
1. In a large saucepan, combine eggs and 1 teaspoon salt; cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, drain, and cool.
4. When cool, tap eggs with the back of a spoon to crack shells (do not remove shells).
5. In another large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, soy sauce, black soy sauce, salt, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and tangerine zest.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours.
7. Remove from heat, add eggs, and let steep for at least 8 hours.** It’s an Eggscellent choice!
**Cook’s note: Eggs can steep up to 1 1/2 days for richer flavor. Store eggs unpeeled in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. They will keep for 4 to 5 days.
The above recipe courtesy of soygirl2’s mom and photo from allrecipes.com
3) Wasabi Green Tea Vinaigrette
Ingredients
• 1/2 C. honey
• 1/2 C. rice vinegar
• 1/2 T wasabi powder
• 2 pinches Boston Tea’s Oriental Treasure green tea leaves
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Yuzu juice
• 1 tsp canola oil
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients, except oil, into a blender.
2. Emulsify oil mixture.
3. Reserve or use on your favorite salad or on sliced cucumbers for a snack. It’s a tea-rrificaly tasty dressing.
The above recipe for Wasabi Green Tea Vinaigrette is from Plateonline.com by Corporate Sushi Chef Takeshi Trinitapoli at Kona Grill, Scottsdale, AZ.
4) Tea-Wilted Greens with Summer Fruit and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
• 4 T dried Boston Tea’s Ginger Peach & Apricot black tea leaves
• 1 C. boiling water
• Fruity olive oil for wilting the greens, plus additional oil to drizzle over dish at serving time
• 1 T fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 lb. assorted greens, tough stems or ribs removed (recommended greens are Kale, Napa Cabbage, Asian Bok Choy, and Tatsoi).
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 5 oz. mild, soft goat cheese, cut into cubes or rounds
• 2 ripe nectarines, plums, or apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
• Olive oil to drizzle
Directions
1. Warm 4 plates.
2. Roast the tea leaves in a heavy dry skillet for about 2 minutes or just until aromatic. Do not burn.
3. Remove from heat and carefully add boiling water.
4. Steep for 1 minute and then pass through a fine-meshed sieve, reserving the liquid.
5. Heat the oil over medium heat, in a large, heavy skillet.
6. Add ginger and stir constantly until aromatic. Do not burn.
7. Add greens and cook until slightly wilted.
8. Season, with salt and pepper, to taste. (There should be some liquid remaining.)
To assemble
1. Divide greens among the 4 warmed plates.
2. Arrange goat cheese and fruit wedges as you like over the greens.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately. It’s the perfect summer salad!
*Makes 4 servings
The above recipe for Tea-Wilted Greens courtesy globalgourmet.com from the book “Cooking with Tea: Techniques and Recipes for Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts and More”by Robert Wemischner and Diana Rosen
5) Green Tea Granola
Ingredients
• 6 C. Fiber One® Honey Clusters® cereal
• 1 C. cashew halves
• 1 C. sesame sticks
• 1/4 C. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C. strong brewed Bentley's Royal Oriental Treasure green tea (2 bags per ½ C. hot water)
• 2 T honey
• 2 T canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2 C. chopped dried mangoes
• 1/2 C. sweetened dried cranberries
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Spray 15x10x1 inch pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, mix cereal, cashews and sesame sticks.
4. In a 1 quart saucepan, mix brown sugar, tea, honey and oil and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
5. Stir constantly until brown sugar is melted.
6. Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat well.
7. Spread into pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Stir well. Bake for another 10 minutes.**
9. Stir in mangoes and cranberries.
10. Cool completely in the pan for about an hour.
11. Remove and store in a tightly closed container. Enjoy this ‘teariffic’ hearty snack anytime!
**At high altitude (3500-6500 feet), bake for 30 minutes. After stirring, bake mixture for 15-20 minutes longer.
The above recipe for Green Tea Granola courtesy eatbetteramerica.com
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