Recipes: A Taste of Tea

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Recipes: A Taste of Tea

'A Taste of Tea' is Peta Mathias' idiosyncratic take on the story of tea and our addiction to it. We might have inherited our love of tea from the British but as New Zealand grew, our love of tea grew with it. There's our wake-up cuppa, - probably in bed. Tea and toast for breakfast, smoko and a cuppa, lunch and a cup of tea. And don't forget afternoon tea with scones and cream. And despite an expresso invasion, tea remains our number-one drink.

"Life is like tea. The longer it is immersed, the richer it becomes." - Chinese proverb.

Legend has it that 'a Chinese emperor named Chen Nung discovered tea in 2737 BC. When sitting in his garden some dried leaves from a nearby camellia bush blew into a pot of boiling water. The emperor decided to drink the infusion and found it refreshing. A Taste of Tea takes off to China to put some geography into the legend. To the Chinese, tea making and drinking is an art form focused on taste. We visit a famed Beijing teahouse to learn about the basics of tea:

Jingshan Park East Gate Teahouse

Beijing
China

Peta tastes:

Chinese teas including:
Dragon Whale Tea, Oolong Tea, Brick Tea and a unique Jasmine Tea (which opens out into a lotus like flower)

"Cup of char, deary?" -blame the Poms.
Kiwi's love of tea can be directly blamed on the British. A Taste of Tea travels to London. Stephen Twining, a 10th generation Twining from London's world famous tea business, recounts the remarkable history of tea and the Brits. Three hundred years ago London was awash with bawdy coffee and rum houses. No lady could be seen in such a place. Thomas Twining created a craze for tea among London's society ladies.

In London Peta visits:

The Geffrye Museum

Kingsland Road
London E2 8EA

Twinings

216 Strand
London WC1
(This is a retail shop not a tearoom)

Cutty Sark

Greenwich
London SE10 9BG

Tea became the most smuggled commodity in Britain due to high tax and the political tactics of brewers. London's water was unsafe to drink so beer, with antibacterial qualities, was the safe drink of choice. Tea became an arch rival.

'Mr Churchill if I were your wife I would poison your tea...If you were my wife Lady Astor I would drink it!' An exchange between Lady Astor and Winston Churchill.
Afternoon Tea has been served at London's famous Savoy Hotel on the banks of the Thames throughout its entire long history. Served to the tinkling of teacups and the resident pianist, there's delicate pastries, teacakes and scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve.

Dress code: smart casual, Afternoon Tea: 27.00 pounds per person

At $80 for tea, scones and strawberry jam, what is it about the Savoy that continues to bring the punters in?

In London Peta takes afternoon tea at:

The Savoy Hotel

The Strand
London WC1

In New Zealand Peta's afternoon teas are at:

Hawthorn Dene

280 Botany Road
Howick
Auckland
(09) 273 9117

The Blue Baths Tea Room

Government Gardens
Rotorua
(07) 350 2119
(Teas for small or large private functions - bookings only)

'A woman is like a teabag - it's only when she's in hot water that you realise how strong she is.' Nancy Regan

In New Zealand it was businessman, Norman Harper Bell, who built Dunedin's iconic Bell Tea Factory, and secured a reliable, inexpensive supply for the New Zealand market. These days maintaining that supply is down to the work of Bell's internationally credited tea blender Matt Greenwood. It doesn't matter whether the tea is Indian, Chinese, green or black, all tea starts out the same. Tea is made from the young tender dried leaves of the Camellia Sinensis, an evergreen, tropical plant. So how can there be hundreds of varieties?

Matt takes us to Sri Lanka, to the plantations, the factories, the tastings and the auctions. Here in a picture perfect landscape we discover the secrets behind the diversity of tea and Matt demonstrates just what it takes to be a top tea taster.

In Sri Lanka Peta stays at:

The Tea Factory Hotel

Kandapola
Nuwara Eliya
Sri Lanka
0094 11 230 8408

The Sri Lankan Tea developed for New Zealand by tea taster Matt Greenwood is: Bell Pure Ceylon

'Do you like my kimono, it's the genuine thing, so is this tea house, so what is it doing in Wanganui?' Peta Mathias

The rituals associated in the drinking of tea can turn up in unexpected corners. In a suburban corner of Wanganui there's a house that looks like any other. Step inside the garden and you step into the enchanted environment of a traditional Japanese teahouse. There can nothing more ceremonial than the Japanese tea rite. Peta learns of the rituals to this elaborate ceremony at the:

Wanganui Friendship Centre

27 Duncan Street
Wanganui
Contact: Mr Fujimori
(06) 343 1945

Tea is now enjoying a worldwide image overhaul. In China tea is now served with jazzy colourful syrups, cream, pearl sago balls and beans, all mixed to create gaudy, frothy cocktails that's light years away from Earl Grey.

Peta drinks jazzy china teas at:

Xianzonglin Tea House

New World Shopping Complex
Beijing

Britain is moving too. Teas with fresh bright flavours have engulfed supermarket shelves and choosing a tea to match what you're eating is whole new art to learn too.

Peta tries food matches with Twinings Teas:

Earl Grey - with sticky banana cake
Darjeeling - with tuna fish sandwich
Gun Powder Green - with a light bread and Mozzarella cheese

In New Zealand we are up with the trend. In Auckland's Botany Downs at the 'Coffee and Tea Lovers Café', owner Paolo Aryan proves there's exquisite beauty in tea. He is very critical of how each is served in cafes and he aims to put that right.

Coffee and Tea Lovers

12E Amera Place
Pakuranga
Auckland
(09) 535 7303

Finally Peta reveals tea can be a quite refined cooking ingredient. She makes a lunch using tea to get your guests talking. It's a climax of colour and good taste, a meal to aspire to.

Peta's Tea Recipes:

Green Tea Soup with Rice and Tuna
Serves 6 people

400g risotto rice
1 cup fish or chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
green tea
600g very fresh raw tuna, thinly sliced
sesame oil
fish sauce
1/2 cup furiake mix (nori and sesame seed)
wasabi on the side

1. Combine rice, stock, salt and 1 cup of cold water in a saucepan, cover with a tight fitting lid, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 mins or until just cooked. Remove from the heat and stand rice, covered, for 10 mins.

2. Make up one and a half litres of green tea.

3. Heat bowls and put a few drops of sesame oil and a tsp of fish sauce in each one. Divide rice among them, top with tuna slices and pour the tea around the rice. Top with furimake and serve immediately. Have wasabi, sesame oil and fish sauce on the table for extra seasoning.

Pear Salad with Green Tea and Mustard Dressing
Serves 6 people

For the Salad:

a handful of fresh walnuts
3 pears, Nashi or regular
a bunch of rocket lettuce
150g feta cheese
fresh chrysanthemum flowers

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup green tea
1 small white onion
1 tbsp capers
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp powdered Wasabi
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey

1. Make the dressing by blending all ingredients in the food processor, leaving the dressing a little chunky.

2. Roast or fry walnuts for a few minutes till golden.

3. Core pears and slice finely on the cross. If not serving immediately, place in acidulated water to prevent browning. If serving straight away, arrange on top of a bed of rocket and immediately drizzle with the dressing. Crumble walnuts and feta over and sprinkle with chrysanthemum petals.

Berry and Green Tea Granita
Serves 6 people