Why now?
Health-seeking Americans are being drawn in record numbers to tea’s good-for-you qualities, from helping to ward off cancer and heart disease to building bone density. Tea sales last year topped $6.2 billion, more than quadruple their level in the early 1990s, according to the Tea Council of the USA.
At the same time, flavor seekers are turning to tea for culinary thrills.
“Tea adds wonderful flavor undertones, similar to herbs and spices,” said Charlie Romano, a vegan-organic chef at the Mandala Tea Room in Scottsdale. “The health benefits are just another bonus.”
Tea flavors range through floral, earthy, grassy, astringent, clean and brisk, and deep and hearty.
Modern-day applications for cooking with tea are surprisingly similar to those of the ancient Chinese, who stuffed fish with dried, pungent oolong leaves before steaming, and infused boiling water while boiling eggs.
Both tea leaves and brewed tea can be used in cooking. Dried leaves work best as a flavorful rub for fish, poultry, pork and beef. Use only loose tea leaves, not the finely crushed (and less flavorful) contents of brewing bags.
“Treat tea like you would any other ingredient. Go for quality, the best you can afford, because quality matters,” Romano said.
Brewed tea is best in soups, baked goods and cream sauces.
Like wine and other beverages-turned-ingredients, the flavor of the tea must match the dish.
Rosen recommends sweet grassy greens for produce, shrimp and other shellfish. Soft Keemuns and edgy Yuannas taste great with poultry, while Cameroon’s chocolate aftertaste is ideal with desserts or with sweet-flavored sauces for pork or chicken.
At Mandala, Romano continually experiments with the shop’s 50-variety inventory, infusing the restaurant’s signature chocolate cake with raspberry tea and soaking almonds in a bold Russian Caravan tea to give a “smoky campfire” undertone to a dark olive tapenade.
“The more I cook with tea,” he said, “the more I realize how versatile it is, and how well it belongs in the kitchen.”
Details: The Mandala Tea Room, 7027 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale, 480-423-3411, mandalatearoom.com.
Reach the reporter at karen.fernau@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4779.
Tags: dea, dishes, flavors, greens, heart disease, herbs and spices, risk, soups