Tea is one of the most popular beverages on this planet. Over 2 Billion people drink tea every day. However, consuming tea as a drink is not the only way you can enjoy it. There are a lot of tea-infused recipes that have become quite popular. Cooking with tea is the new trend, and if you have not tried it yet, you are missing out on something cool.
Just imagine the aroma of tea leaves in your favorite dish. Believe it or not, but tea leaves can be a powerful ingredient in your usual dish. Apart from adding a new flavor, cooking with tea will give your dish a refreshing taste.
If you wish to try a tea food recipe and boost your new kitchen experiment about cooking with tea, you are in the right place. But before we jump into tea dishes, it is essential to know the benefits of using tea leaves in cooking.
Benefits of Cooking with Tea
- Tea leaves are rich in antioxidants that help prevent heart diseases, strokes, and even cancer.
- Tea adds a refreshing flavor to the dish.
- As per researchers, tea helps balance cholesterol levels in the body.
Simple ways to Start Cooking with Tea
Oatmeal / Grains
If you plan to cook oatmeal, pulses, or grains for your food, try adding tea instead of water. You may boil some tea leaves in water and use that water instead of regular water for your dish.
Tea Ice-Cream
If you are fond of ice creams, make a tea ice cream at home and enjoy the taste. Boil tea leaves in water. Add some milk. Add sugar, chocolate flavor, and keep the mixture in the freezer. In a few hours, you’ll be able to taste a tea ice cream and believe me, and your taste buds will thank you for the delight.
Tea Butter
A lot of recipes use oil or butter in the cooking procedure. One way to practice cooking with tea is to mix tea leaves in the oil/butter. You may make a butter paste by mixing tea leaves into butter. Using this butter in your cooking will automatically add tea flavor to your dish, along with the many benefits of tea.
Tea Seasoning
We often use seasonings on our pizza or bread. How about using tea as a seasoning? Well, it can be made at home. Mix green tea with common salt and use it as a seasoning on any dish. You can sprinkle it on eggs, salad, or just on anything. Using tea as a seasoning is one of the best ways to use tea in your food items.
Using tea for marination
If you wish to prepare chicken, crush tea leaves in curd and use the mixture to marinate the chicken. You can also rub tea leaves on the raw chicken to add tea flavor while marinating. Another way of cooking with tea is to add tea leaves to the curry.
Tea Rice
Rice is generally cooked in water. Instead of using regular water for cooking rice, you may use tea for this purpose. This will add tea flavor to rice giving it a refreshing taste.
Conclusion
Tea is a wonderful beverage that can refresh your mind. Apart from consuming tea in liquid form, many people now use tea in their cooking. Tea dishes have become quite popular across the world due to their great taste combined with the numerous benefits of tea. If you have still not practiced cooking with tea, this is the time to start.
