Hot Tea Enjoyment Step 5 - Experiment with other tea drinks

Okay this was out of order because I lost the recipes I wanted to include, so rather than hold up the series I listed step 6 on Monday. HEre are all the steps to increasing your enjoyment of Hot Tea if you ant to review:

Step 6: http://backyardpatch.blogspot.com/2012/01/hot-tea-enjoyment-step-6-tea-tastings.html

Step 4: http://backyardpatch.blogspot.com/2012/01/hot-tea-enjoyment-4-storing-your-tea.html

Step 3: http://backyardpatch.blogspot.com/2011/03/brewing-tea-hot-tea-enjoyment-3.html

Step 2:  http://backyardpatch.blogspot.com/2011/02/loose-herbal-tea-hot-tea-enjoyment.html

Step 1: http://backyardpatch.blogspot.com/2011/02/hot-tea-enjoyment.html

So now. on the the next step:

5. Experiment with tea in other drinks, such as lattes, cider, cocoa or as Chai.  I stretched this out a bit and included using tea as an ingredient in recipes not only for desserts and main dishes, but in the bath as well..

When I was younger I thought Tea is Tea, Coffee is Coffee.  They are specific drinks prepared a specific way.  I do not drink coffee.  I love the smell, dislike the taste.  So as a result I do not drink hot coffee, coffee liqueur, iced coffee, or coffee ice cream, wait if coffee comes in all these varieties, doesn’t tea?

That was when I realized that there was probably more variety to tea than hot or iced.  So I began experimenting with ways to use brewed teas.  In the process I created a tea version of a Latte, a Chai Tea Latte you can enjoy cold as well as hot.

Chai Iced Tea

You will want to use a coffee filter to strain this mixture as the powdered herbs will float on the surface of the tea otherwise.

1/3 cup loose green tea leaves
2 tablespoons loose black tea leaves
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Milk (may substitute soy or rice milk)

Blend all ingredients in a medium bowl. Place 1/2 of the mixture into a tea pot and add boiling water. While the tea is steeping, heat an amount of milk equal to the amount of tea brewed.  Steep until tea is of the desired strength Strain and pour into a mug, filling halfway. Add the warm milk to the mug and blend with the tea. Then pour over ice for iced chai tea. Skip the ice for a hot version.

In my experimenting to create a Latte, I ended up with a traditional Chai and two Green Tea Chais that I now market (scroll to the bottom of the web page and you will find them!) 

I even found ways to cook with tea and ways to use it in the bath.

Spanish Rice with Crab or Shrimp  

(Makes approximately 4 servings)

Ingredients
3/4 cup long grain rice
1 small onion
2 small cloves garlic
2 tblsp canola oil
1 1/4 cups water
1 - 8 ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 tsps loose green tea
1/4 tsp salt
hot pepper sauce (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 lb. crab meat or cooked medium shrimp

Cut up onion and garlic.  In skillet cook rice, onion, garlic, Backyard Patch Spanish Rice Seasoning (optional) and tea in canola oil over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally until rice is golden brown.  Remove from heat.  Add water, undrained tomatoes, salt, and a couple dashes of hot pepper sauce (optional).

Cover and simmer about 15 - 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in frozen peas and crab OR shrimp and cook for 5 minutes more, or until heated through.

Green Tea Chicken Stock

1 cup freshly brewed green tea
2 Tbls. canola oil.
2 Tbls. of ginger root chunks
1 tsp. white pepper
5 cloves minced garlic
5 green onions
6 cups canned chicken broth
3 cups kernel corn
1 cup chicken, chunked

Heat a deep saucepan over medium heat and add oil. Stir in ginger, garlic and green onions and fry for 1 minute. Add chicken to it and cook for 2-3 minutes until it turns brown.  To the chicken mixture add the tea, chicken broth and corn. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer and cover it for 40 minutes. Season it with white pepper. Strain the liquid through a sieve, pressing out as much liquid as you can. Cool it and pour the stock into a container. Keep in a refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze. You can use this great tasting green tea chicken stock in any other recipes calling to broth or stock.

Green Tea Bath Blend

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup chamomile flowers

2 tbsp. loose green tea

1 tbsp. orange peel, dried

1/2 cup Epsom salt

Mesh drawstring bag

Mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Fill mesh drawstring bag with mixture. Pull drawstrings tight, and tie. Run warm water in the bathtub. Place the ingredient filled mesh bag under running water. The water will seep through the mesh, and release the essential oils and other nutrients into the water.