Braising is a cooking method that involves a quick, high-heat sear followed by a low and gentle simmer in a thin layer of liquid.
As tea lovers we are always looking for ideas on how to use any surplus brewed tea that may be to hand. This method of cooking is the perfect solution for using that brewed tea as a way to add depth and flavour to a dish.
Just replace part or all of your usual braising liquid with strongly brewed tea which has cooled slightly.
For example:
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Black tea gives a rich, earthy note (great with mushrooms, carrots, or root veg).
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Green tea adds freshness and a light, grassy touch.
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Smoky teas like Lapsang Souchong lend a savoury, umami edge - perfect for hearty winter dishes.
In this recipe for Braised Celery we used Dragonwell Green tea, the resulting dish has delicate flavours that would balance any meal beautifully.
The thick celery stems absorb flavour and hold their shape. Combined with nothing more than salt, pepper, olive oil and green tea, the finished dish melts in your mouth. You could substitute Fennel or Asparagus for the Celery.
Ingredients
- 125ml/ 1/2 cup water
- 6gm/ 3 tsp Green Tea - we have used Dragonwell
- 8-10 stalk celery cleaned, trimmed and sliced into batons
- 3 tsp olive oil
- seat salt and pepper
Method
- Prepare your celery. For this dish I always remove the strings from the celery, as I find leaving the strings detracts from the delicious soft texture of the finished dish. To do this, I snap off the ends and gently pull the strings from the ribs, often starting from the lower half of the stalk. Alternatively, you can run a sharp peeler down the side of the stalk but this always feels a more wasteful method.
- Prepare your strongly brewed green tea using water at around 82 degrees celcius (or use your leftover tea from earlier)
- Once brewed, drain and reserve tea
- In a saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium/high heat, add your celery, salt and pepper
- Stir to coat with oil, then turn heat to low and add just enough brewed green tea to cover the bottom of the pan
- Cover and cook on low heat until the celery is soft and fully cooked and nearly all the liquid has evaporated
- Check the celery during the cooking process and add more tea if needed. You should have just a syrupy 'sauce' on the celery - not a lot of liquid when it's done
- Serve as a side dish or over crisp toast
- It is delicious enjoyed cold as a snack the next day and pairs beautifully with seafood or as a side dish to a Japanese style meal.
- Use any leftover braising liquid in a dressing.
Recipe inspired by author
Suzanne Catty in her book called Hot Tea
