Turning a new leaf

For over a 100 years, chai has been a permanent resident of the Indian kitchen. Yet in recent years, exposure to contemporary cooking techniques and global cuisines has meant that tea has undergone a notable transition — transformed from a humble brew to a quirky ingredient that chefs and amateur cooks routinely experiment with.

Ajay Chopra, executive chef at The Westin, Mumbai, says, “Every single tea leaf lends a different flavour at different temperatures. The idea is to introduce the layered flavour of tea into other foods using popular methods such as smoking, poaching and grilling.” Dhungar, the age-old Indian tradition of adding smokiness to food, is the best alternative to smoking chambers. Here, essentially, spices like cloves and cardamom are added to a bowl of hot coal placed at the centre of a covered dish. But since tea leaves are delicate, they must be mixed with dry ingredients such as salt, rice or woodchips. The tea-smoke gradually infuses the food, lending it a subtle aroma. This is cold smoking, which takes about 8-10 minutes, be it meat, red or white, or veggies. The hot smoking process, where you cook and smoke the product simultaneously on a temperature as low as 30-35ºC, could last 3-4 hours.

Poaching is a tad different, where a concoction using tea is made and the main ingredient is placed in it. One can make a concoction of tea and water, orange juice or berry juice, and the temperature of the liquid shouldn’t exceed 80ºC. Grilling, however, is by far the least popular way to add the goodness of tea to food. “The dust of tea leaves and tea twigs are added to the wood in the grill. The trick lies in monitoring the ratios closely, as the dish might acquire a bitter aftertaste. To avoid this, I usually prepare a potion of pomegranate juice and Assam tea, reduce it to a glossy consistency, and brush it on my duck while it rests in a marinade of salt, tamarind and red chilli powder before it goes under the grill,” says Chopra.

But cooking with tea is not restricted to these techniques. Baking (now more popular than ever before) is also a great way to make the most of the versatility of tea. Devika Narula, one of the 11 finalists in MasterChef IndiaSeason 2 , took to baking with tea leaves after her visit to the Twinings Tea Boutique and café in Bangkok. “But if it’s not done correctly, the dish may not acquire the full-bodied flavours of tea,” she says.

Baking with tea leaves is a two-step process. At first, strong and loose tea leaves are steeped in the warm, liquid ingredients of the recipe, such as melted butter, milk or water. The liquid is then strained to get the desired flavour and colour. Lavender tea-infused lemon cupcakes or cookies, jasmine tea-infused vanilla scones, orange cupcakes or biscuits combined with a spicy tea blend (cinnamon, nutmeg and clove), Earl Grey macaroons and chai brûlée are just a few inspiring ideas. Even savoury dishes, such as ginger tea-infused pasta or chamomile tea-infused leek pie, can make for interesting combinations.

Arunima is a Delhi-based writer.

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