Tea is well-known as an infusion, but what would you say if we told you that it is also possible to find numerous recipes with tea?
Some famous cases are the use of the famous matcha tea in many preparations of Japanese pastries and pastries or Lapsang Souchong, to give certain recipes a smoky touch.
The use of tea in the kitchen is tremendously versatile in terms of use and exploitation of its varieties. After all, teas can work just like spices or other infusions. Don’t we usually use mint in the kitchen to give our dishes a refreshing touch?
Tea will help you give your dishes an exotic and surprising touch. Find out how.
The tea goes into the kitchen
Did you know that tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world? In fact, it is the most consumed beverage after water.
In recent years, the culture of tea has been growing and more and more people, also in our country, enjoy a cup every day. The types of tea consumed have gone from the classic black and green ones in bags, which we bought in the supermarket, to specific varieties with specific origins that we get in health food stores or specialized stores.
The use of tea in our kitchen is still in its infancy, but it is beginning to be seen little by little in the dishes on the menus of some restaurants. The different varieties of tea can bring a different, exotic and tasty touch to an infinity of dishes.
The examples are innumerable. The tea can be used to flavor cooking waters, create tasty sauces, hydrate dried fruits, replace liquids in pastry recipes, or be applied just like any other culinary herb.
A recipe for each tea
As you well know, the different types of tea have characteristics that identify them and differentiate them from the others. In this way, a black tea is more concentrated and intense than a green one and a white tea, for example, can have floral hints. Each variety, therefore, can provide a completely different character to the same recipe.
The idea is to play with aromas and flavors to achieve a different experience that generates contrasts and allows flavors to stand out.
The internet is loaded with tea recipes. Here is our little summary. However, beyond the guidance that we can give you, we encourage you to experiment and let your palate guide you to create new dishes that leave everyone speechless.
Recipes with white tea, perfect for salads
You can use the delicate flavor of white tea to give a new nuance to dishes with mild flavors.
Its aroma and floral flavor make it an excellent accompaniment for salads, using it as a spice. Although it can also be very good if we cook the potatoes in its infusion. You will see how its flavor subtly changes!
Sweet dishes can also benefit from white tea, although you must be careful not to combine it in dishes with intense flavors that hide the touch of the tea. Replace the liquids of your favorite recipes with this infusion, for example to soak a sponge cake, you will see how you give a new twist to your traditional dishes!
White tea is also loaded with antioxidants, so it can be a seasoning with interesting properties for your health.
Black tea recipes, ideal for meats
The intense flavor of black tea makes it a good option to combine with red meats. An interesting idea would be to use the infusion to marinate and soften the meat before cooking, or as a base for a stew or stew.
You can also let your imagination run wild and use the infused black tea to create a different sauce. It is only necessary to change the usual liquid (or part of it) for tea.
Of course, you can also use this variety to flavor butter, make an intense chocolate ganache or hydrate dried fruit. Black tea can also be used as a seasoning, finely chopped and sprinkled over meat.
Recipes with green tea: accompaniment of white meats or vegetables
There is a huge range of flavors within green teas. We can find some with more herbaceous, fruity or vegetable flavors and even others with floral, toasted or earthy hints. In any case, in general, they usually go well with fish or chicken dishes and with any vegetable recipe.
A green tea chicken and vegetable wok can be a real hit, just like if you cook the typical vegetables for a ratatouille over a tea tomato sauce and sprinkle green tea on top. You will give traditional dishes a whole new dimension.
Matcha, the pastry tea
If we talk about tea in baking, we talk about matcha. This Japanese tea is a common ingredient in all kinds of sweet dishes, such as croissants, cakes, muffins, smoothies and shakes. As it is a powdered tea, it can be incorporated like any other dry ingredient, mixing with honey, milk, coconut oil or any liquid or semi-liquid source.
The matcha kasutera, or matcha cake, is a classic.
Lapsang Souchong, natural smoked
Lapsang Souchong is a black tea with a strong smoky flavor. For this reason, it can be incorporated into the kitchen to give a smoky touch to countless dishes. For example, you can boil eggs in a Lapsang Souchong infusion and then enjoy its smoky flavor and striking color.
Like the other varieties of tea, you can also use it as a spice, sprinkling it over some fish, salmon for example, before putting it in the oven.
Herbal infusions
Herbal infusions, such as mint, rose, lavender or chamomile, can go well with mousses, creams and smoothies. You can even make flavored milks with tea and vanilla pods, for example, and serve them both warm and cold.
In short, tea is much more than an infusion. You can take advantage of all the richness of its flavors to incorporate it into recipes that you would not have thought of. Join this trend!