Did you know that tea can be added as a flavouring to some of your favourite Chinese dishes, plus it can even be used as a sorbet to cleanse your palate after a meal.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can experiment with different types of tea to discover just how the flavour of a dish can be improved.

Tea eggs

These are a staple part of Chinese banquets, especially during the Spring Festival since eggs symbolise fertility and plenty in China.

Start with hard-boiled eggs that have cooled down enough to be handled. Then, very slowly roll the egg on a table top or crack it gently with the back of the spoon—the point is to produce fine cracks on the egg's surface.

In a pot, put some Oolong tea (you can experiment with other blends), a couple of star anise, a cinnamon stick and some soy sauce. Place the eggs in this mixture, adding enough water to cover them. Let the mixture gently simmer for at least an hour. This produces a marbling effect in the eggs.

Dragon Well shrimps

A favourite dish in China which dates back to imperial times is Longjing shrimps. Longjing or Dragon Well tea is a famous green tea from China that has an unbelievably refreshing taste. It cuts through the “fishy” taste of the shrimp, making this a dish that even non-seafood lovers will enjoy.

To make the dish, you will need about a cup of strongly brewed Longjing tea. This means steeping the tea for a bit longer than you would when you're making it as a drink. Sauté some finely chopped ginger, onion and garlic.

Next, add the cleaned shrimps which have been marinated in a mixture of Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry and cornflour, also known as cornflour. Use big shrimps or even prawns for this so you can really bite into them.

When the shrimps are half-cooked, add the cup of tea. Let the liquid reduce to about a third. If you feel the sauce needs thickening, add some cornflour that has been dissolved in a small amount of water. Taste the seasoning and serve immediately.

You can add chopped red bell peppers and spring onions to bring some colour to this dish if you like.

Tea-smoked salmon

Marinate the fish fillet in some sesame oil, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry light soy sauce, and a bit of sugar. Then, in a heavy-bottomed pan (cast iron works well with this) that can accommodate the fish fillet, put a mixture of fresh tea leaves (try jasmine, green or Oolong), uncooked rice grain and sugar.

To help ease cleaning, you can use a small disposable foil container that fits the bottom of your pan. Then, heat up the pan. Place the fish fillet on a rack above the mixture when it starts smoking, and then tightly cover the pan. You can seal the edges with tin foil to minimise the smoke coming out.

Let the fish smoke (depending on the thickness) on medium heat from 15 to 30 minutes. This dish will also work well with cod and other firm-fleshed fish. Be careful, though, as the kitchen might get really smoky.

Tea sorbet

To make a tea sorbet, you need to brew a large quantity of tea, with a bit of sugar added. Then, when the tea has cooled down, put it in a flat container (or an ice cream maker) and freeze it. If you don't have an ice cream maker, just remember to stir the sorbet every couple of hours until it is frozen.

Green tea makes an incredible end-of the-meal sorbet. The naturally sweet-tasting chrysanthemum flower tea and other flower-infused teas like jasmine also make good desserts. You can serve the sorbet with caramel nuts, for example, sprinkled on top. A few crumbled fresh tea leaves will also heighten the flavour.
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If these simple recipes seem too much of an effort, you could just crumble a few tea leaves on freshly cooked rice. Or just substitute tea for your usual braising liquid. You'll be surprised at how much flavour a small amount adds to a dish.

Originally published on March 18, 2009

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